Former Military Commander Killed in Mine Explosion in Eastern Afghanistan

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources report that Din Mohammad Nuristani, a former Afghan army commander, was killed in a remote-controlled mine explosion in Nuristan’s Want Waigal district.

The incident occurred this Sunday, October 27, in the village of Shangal. Sources indicate that Nuristani was on his way to the mosque for the afternoon prayer when the mine detonated.

Before the Taliban’s takeover, Din Mohammad Nuristani served as a local commander in the previous Afghan government’s military forces.

The motive behind his killing remains unclear.

Local Taliban officials in Nuristan have not commented on the incident, and no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the explosion.

This event is part of a troubling trend of targeted violence against former soldiers and government employees by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Since regaining power three years ago, the Taliban, despite their declared “general amnesty,” have arrested, detained, and tortured hundreds of former members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), with some cases resulting in death.

In a recent quarterly report on the situation in Afghanistan, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres documented at least four extrajudicial killings, nine arbitrary arrests, and six instances of torture and ill-treatment of former government officials and soldiers by the Taliban over the past three months.

International organizations have consistently accused the Taliban of carrying out extrajudicial killings of former officials and military personnel.