The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) has reported that Taliban intelligence forces have detained Sulaiman Rahil, the director of Radio Khushal, in Ghazni province.

Rahil was arrested on the evening of Monday, 5 May, in the provincial capital. The reason for his detention has not been disclosed.

A local journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested that the arrest may be linked to Rahil’s recent Facebook posts addressing critical social issues, including widespread poverty in the region.

According to the AFJC, Rahil’s arrest marks the fourth case of a journalist being detained by Taliban intelligence in the past week. On 5 and 6 May, three other local journalists were reportedly detained in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province.

The organisation stated that at least 13 journalists or media workers are currently in Taliban custody. Of those, six have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven months to three years.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed increasingly severe restrictions on freedom of expression and media operations. Over the past four years, dozens of journalists have been detained many allegedly subjected to torture by Taliban intelligence agencies across the country.

Reflecting the deepening crisis for press freedom, Afghanistan ranked 175th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders.