Taliban sack thousands of ex-communists employees

The News: Jang, April 7, 2001

KABUL: The Taliban regime has sacked thousands of civil servants and military officers with links to the previous communist regimes in Afghanistan, reports said Saturday.

The massive purge involved government employees who were members of the former communist party, or people trained in the Soviet bloc countries and decorated for their services to the pro-Moscow regimes from 1978 to 1992.

At least 1,600 officers and other functionaries from the interior ministry and several thousands from the defence ministry have been made redundant.

The Taliban declared them "unfavourable" people and laid them off without any pension benefits and also directed all state organs not to re-employ them, reports a foreign news agency quoting a dismissed employee.

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