Taliban to resume issuing national identity cards and passports to Afghans soon

The national identity cards and passport services were discontinued soon after the militant group gained control of the national capital, Kabul.  

The Taliban-led Afghanistan government will start issuing national identity cards and passports to its citizens again in the coming days, after months of delays, a senior official said.

Alam Gul Haqqani, the passport office's acting head, told reporters in Kabul they would issue between 5,000 and 6,000 passports a day and women would be employed to handle the processing of female citizens' documents.

However, the Taliban government has not revealed the exact date of the issuance. Notably, the ID and passport services were discontinued soon after the militant group gained control of the national capital, Kabul.

According to TOLO News, the development came after the council of ministers held a meeting on Monday. The report also claimed that the Taliban government directed the Ministry of Interior Affairs to start the process of issuing national IDs and passports.

The development would come as a relief for lakhs of Afghan nationals as many Afghans, including those trying to flee the country, have had their travel hampered by delays in issuing passports. The process had already begun to slow before the Taliban took control of the country in August.

Earlier on September 26, the extremist groups announced changing the national identity cards and passports issued by the Ashraf Ghani-led government. However, the documents would be valid for the time being, reported Khaama Press.

The Khaama Press quoting the Taliban deputy minister of information and culture, Zabiullah Mujahid, reported that the minister has confirmed making changes in the country's name printed on the official documents. It would be renamed as "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan", said Mujahid. Also, he reiterated that the validity of the documents issued in the previous government would also be considered valid.