Human Rights | RSF says Taliban intelligence Office 015 is at the heart of a system to silence Afghan media, with 77 journalists detained by the Taliban since 2021

ACW | November 5, 2026 — A Taliban intelligence unit known as Office 015 is at the center of the arrest, intimidation and repression of Afghan journalists, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in an investigation published on Wednesday.

The Taliban have detained 77 journalists since returning to power in August 2021, holding them for between one week and two years, according to RSF.

Office 015 operates under the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence, monitors Afghan media and summons critical journalists, RSF said. It carries out raids and arrests together with the Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the group added.

The report cites a raid on TOLOnews offices in May 2026. RSF said the office also runs a studio where forced confessions of detainees are recorded.

Journalists who spoke to RSF described beatings during interrogation, detention in a small cell and accusations of espionage. A television journalist said he was ordered to avoid programs about women and interviews with critics of the regime.

Citing documents published by the exile outlet Hasht-e Subh (8am) in September 2026, RSF said Taliban intelligence set aside 70.7 million afghanis for an influence and propaganda program. Nearly 1,500 social media accounts are used to promote the Taliban and discredit opponents, RSF said.

"Office 015 is at the heart of this system, in which journalists are treated as enemies of the regime," Célia Mercier, head of RSF's South Asia desk, wrote in French (ACW translation).

Taliban spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat told RSF that the services, including intelligence Directorate 015, operate within the law and that "no one is arrested arbitrarily." RSF said violations documented by itself and Human Rights Watch contradict that claim.

Background: RSF ranks Afghanistan 175th of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index. It earlier named the Taliban leader on its list of press freedom predators.

Why it matters: More than 20 nationwide Taliban directives and a growing number of provincial orders now restrict the press, according to RSF, which said journalists have been told to avoid topics such as women's rights and poverty.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) — investigation into Taliban intelligence Office 015 (in French)

Map: Afghanistan Christian Watch