Afghanistan’s Taliban have burned 650 “immoral” musical instruments, as well as amplifiers, subwoofers, CDs, and DVDs, as part of an effort to “prevent vices, strengthen Islamic values, and reform society,” according to Mustaghfir Gurbaz, a spokesman for the Taliban in the Khost region.
The instruments — mostly guitars and keyboards — seem to have been largely confiscated from weddings in Khost. Photos of the burn show a thick black pillar of smoke rising over Khost.
The Taliban banned public music during its reign from the 1990s up until 2001, when the US invaded Afghanistan. After the US withdrew its troops in 2021, the Taliban returned, leading musicians around the country to flee for their lives, including the Afghanistan Music School for Girls, which organized the rescue of almost 300 students.
خوست کې د موسیقۍ ٦۵۰ بېلابېل وسایل او په زیاته کچه پټاکۍ له منځه یووړل شوې
د خوست ولایت د امربالمعروف او نهی عن المنکر ریاست مسؤلینو لهخوا د موسیقۍ اړوند ٦۵٠ بېلابېل وسایل او توکي، دغه راز په زیاته کچه پټاس او پټاکۍ له منځه یووړل شوې. ١/٤ pic.twitter.com/A21tqcD2cR
— مستغفر ګربز (@mustaghfir_g313) November 4, 2026
