De facto security authorities in Kabul have launched a neighborhood surveillance directive requiring private building guards and residential watchmen to equip themselves with communications gear and military-style attire to act as localized informants for the regime’s police force.
According to sources reporting to Afghanistan International, the initiative mandates that residential guards procure walkie-talkies, submit regular activity logs, and report daily neighborhood events directly to local de facto police stations.
Outsourcing Security and Shifting Costs onto Civilians
The directive has already been implemented across several residential blocks in northern Kabul, including parts of the Khairkhana neighborhood, with plans for city-wide expansion:
- Compulsory Procurement: Residents and building management boards are forced to directly fund the purchase of military-style uniforms and radio communications equipment for their private security personnel.
- Neighborhood Intelligence Integration: By converting private watchmen into de facto informants, municipal security units aim to establish a continuous, low-cost intelligence network to monitor urban movements, safehouses, and potential civilian resistance cells.
- Financial Strain on Residents: The requirement to finance security gear adds a direct financial burden on urban households already struggling under severe economic contraction, rising municipal fees, and widespread inflation.
Deepening Urban Intelligence Controls
The forced integration of private watchmen into the de facto security structure reflects a broader campaign to tighten social monitoring across dense urban centers. Facing persistent security vulnerabilities and fear of urban guerrilla activity, de facto authorities are increasingly relying on coercive community-level surveillance measures to maintain territorial control over the capital.