KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources in Afghanistan’s central Daykundi province report that a young man and a woman were killed in the province amid a recent rise in mysterious killings across the country.
The sources identified the victims as Ghafoor, 27, and his mother-in-law, Gul Jan, 43, who were killed by unknown gunmen in Shahristan district on Wednesday, August 21.
According to the sources, the perpetrators, four gunmen not from the area, fled the scene on motorcycles after carrying out the killings.
The motive behind the incidents remains unclear. However, according to the sources, the victims were not employees of the previous government and had no connections to any group.
The Taliban local authorities in Daykundi have not yet commented on the incidents.
These incidents add to a surge in mysterious killings and criminal activities across Afghanistan in recent years. The country’s citizens are increasingly concerned about their safety and security, which adds to the mounting challenges they face since the Taliban’s takeover, despite the regime’s claims of maintaining security.
In its recent report released earlier this month, Rawadari, a London-based human rights organization, documented at least 239 cases of mysterious, extrajudicial, and targeted killings, including those of women and children, across Afghanistan over the past six months.
According to the report, the victims include former government officials, their family members, human rights advocates, tribal elders, and opponents of the Taliban regime.
The rights group also emphasizes that the actual number could be much higher, as it was unable to document all cases due to the Taliban creating an atmosphere of fear and exerting pressure on victims’ families to keep such information hidden.
