Taliban Dismiss Nearly 3,000 Members For Abusive Practices: Official

The Taliban took back control of Afghanistan in August after a 20-year insurgency against former US-backed governments and NATO foreign forces.

The Taliban have dismissed about 3,000 members accused of abusive practices from its hardline Islamist movement in a widespread "vetting process" launched since coming to power, an official said Saturday.

The Taliban took back control of Afghanistan in August after a 20-year insurgency against former US-backed governments and NATO foreign forces.

Promising a softer rule to their 1996-2001 regime, the Taliban government launched a commission to identify members who were flouting the movement's regulations.

"They were giving a bad name to the Islamic Emirate. They were removed in this vetting process so that we can build a clean army and police force in the future," the head of the panel Latifullah Hakimi in the defence ministry told AFP.