Taliban Shut Down and Seal Fatima al-Zahra Clinic in Western Kabul

Continued pressure on civil institutions and a deepening healthcare crisis in Shia-populated areas

Kabul — Local sources in western Kabul confirm that Taliban authorities have halted the activities of the Hazrat Fatima al-Zahra Clinic in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of Kabul and sealed the medical facility.

According to informed sources and local media reports, Taliban personnel entered the medical center, ordered its immediate evacuation and closure, and prevented healthcare workers and patients from entering. Taliban officials have not publicly provided a detailed official explanation for closing the facility.

Importance of the Fatima al-Zahra Clinic and the healthcare access crisis

The Fatima al-Zahra Clinic was one of the healthcare facilities serving western Kabul, where many patients are low-income residents, women, and children. It provided medical examinations and other health services at relatively low cost and helped address gaps in healthcare access in densely populated Dasht-e-Barchi.

Local residents say that with the suspension of the clinic's activities, patients who depended on its services may be forced to seek treatment at private medical facilities whose costs are beyond the means of many families.

Background: transfer of staff and equipment from Mohammad Ali Jinnah Hospital

The closure comes after earlier changes to healthcare services in western Kabul. In September 2025, health-sector sources reported that the Taliban Ministry of Public Health transferred personnel and equipment from Mohammad Ali Jinnah Hospital in Dasht-e-Barchi—including neurosurgery, general surgery, orthopedics, and other units—to Ahmad Shah Baba Hospital in the Arzan Qemat area of eastern Kabul.

The transfer raised concerns among residents about access to hospital services in western Kabul. With the closure of the Fatima al-Zahra Clinic, concerns over access to affordable and adequate healthcare in the area have intensified further.

Concerns over pressure on independent institutions

The clinic's closure comes amid reports of restrictions and closures affecting other religious and educational institutions in western Kabul. The Fatima al-Zahra Clinic was located beside the Khatam al-Anbia religious school, which had also been closed by Taliban forces several days earlier.

Some local observers and rights advocates view restrictions affecting healthcare, religious, cultural, and educational institutions in Hazara- and Shia-populated areas as part of a broader pattern of pressure and structural discrimination. These assessments are analytical interpretations; Taliban authorities have not publicly characterized the measures in those terms.

Keywords: Taliban, western Kabul, Dasht-e-Barchi, Fatima al-Zahra Clinic, Mohammad Ali Jinnah Hospital, healthcare services, human rights in Afghanistan, Hazara community.

Sources: Etilaatroz, 27 September 2026; Hasht-e Subh (8AM), 20 September 2025.