Informed sources say the Taliban have arrested Yahya Anabi, a well-known and controversial cleric from Panjshir. According to the sources, the arrest followed a confrontation between a number of students from his madrasa and Taliban forces in Anaba district.
The incident reportedly occurred at around 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, near the entrance to Yahya Anabi’s madrasa in Anaba district of Panjshir province.
According to the sources, tensions began when Yahya Anabi and several of his students demanded the removal of a shoemaker’s stall located near the madrasa. The students reportedly considered the stall “suspicious.” After Taliban forces arrived at the scene, a clash broke out between the madrasa students and the Taliban personnel.
The Green Trend Movement, led by Amrullah Saleh, also said in a statement that fighting erupted between the madrasa students and Taliban forces after the group’s personnel arrived at the location.
Yahya Anabi is a prominent cleric in Panjshir who has attracted repeated attention in recent years for his controversial sermons and public positions. Since the Taliban’s return to power, he has at times been viewed as a cleric close to the Taliban, while at other times as a critic of some of the group’s actions in Panjshir.
Anabi’s sermons particularly those concerning women, Shiites, critics of the Taliban, and the implementation of Islamic law have repeatedly sparked widespread reactions on social media. However, he has also criticized certain aspects of the Taliban’s conduct in Panjshir on several occasions.
The Taliban have not yet issued an official statement regarding Yahya Anabi’s reported arrest or the details of the incident.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
