A teacher in Malmö, Ahmad Khan Andar, has been dismissed from his position after it came to light that he participated in Afghan media. There, he reportedly described the Taliban’s takeover as the country being “liberated.”
Ahmad Khan Andar, who has an Afghan background and worked as a native language teacher in Pashto at several primary schools in Malmö, took part in Afghan media alongside his teaching job.
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According to SVT, Ahmad Khan Andar criticized Western democracy and defended the Taliban’s views on the media and society in interviews with Afghan outlets. In an interview from January 2026, he expressed, among other things, that it was wrong to let girls study.
– Our previous governments acted wrongly when they forced women into schools during the democratic era.
He is also said to have supported the idea of only allowing Taliban-friendly media and banning those who express Western values.
– The Taliban were absolutely right to shut down the media that forced Western culture and democracy upon us.
City of Malmö investigated the teacher
Following SVT’s coverage, Andar was suspended with pay while the municipality investigated the case. Malmö city reviewed his personnel file, spoke with colleagues, students, and guardians, and had authorized translators examine parts of his appearances on Afghan TV.
The municipality considered that the statements had damaged trust in the school system in Malmö, even though Andar had not formally neglected his duties.
– The statements he made could be perceived as contradicting our core values, and this negatively affects the trust in our operation, said Mats Johnsson in a comment to SVT.
The teacher defends himself
Andar himself claims he has done nothing wrong since he did not introduce his religious or political views into the classroom. He also feels that parts of SVT’s translations present a misleading picture of him.
In the municipal investigation, he stated that he “had to affirm the Taliban regime” to be featured on Afghan TV, and that his aim was to reach people in Afghanistan with messages about rights and freedom.
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However, SVT reports that they have seen further interviews with Andar in exile media, without Taliban connections, where he expressed himself in ways that can only be interpreted as support for the regime.
Leaves with six months’ salary
Even though Malmö city found that Andar had not neglected his work, he has now left his position after reaching an agreement with the municipality. According to him, he will receive six months’ salary in severance pay.
– I am very sad. They said I could not work as a teacher. I am not a terrorist, he told SVT Nyheter Skåne.