Afghan agents pour 3,000 litres of liquor into Kabul canal as Taliban cracks down on alcohol

Kabul: A team of Afghan intelligence agents poured around 3,000 litres of liquor into a canal in Kabul, the country’s spy agency said on Sunday, as the new Taliban authorities crack down on the sale of alcohol. Video footage released by the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) showed its agents pouring alcohol stored in barrels into the canal after seizing it during a raid in the capital. “Muslims have to seriously abstain from making and delivering alcohol,” said a religious scholar in the video posted by the agency on Twitter on Sunday. It was not clear when the raid was carried out or exactly when the alcohol was destroyed, but a statement issued by the agency said three dealers were arrested during the operation. Selling and consuming alcohol was banned even under the previous Western-backed regime, but the Taliban, known for their austere brand of Islam, are stricter in their opposition to it. Since the Islamists seized power on 15 August, the frequency of raids, including on drug addicts, has increased across the country. The Taliban government’s Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has also issued several guidelines restricting women’s rights.