KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources report that a woman was choked to death by unknown assailants in the Lash Wa Juwayn district of Farah province on the night of Saturday, November 16.
A source at the Farah Provincial Hospital, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the woman’s body was transferred to the hospital, but her identity has yet to be established.
The motive for the murder and the identity of the perpetrators remains unclear.
Local Taliban authorities in Farah have not yet commented on the incident.
This killing is part of a broader trend of rising violence against women under Taliban rule. Since the group’s return to power in August 2021, women’s rights have been severely restricted. The Taliban has banned women from working in the public sector, attending secondary and higher education, and accessing public spaces such as parks, gyms, and baths.
Gender-based violence (GBV) has surged across Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover. A report by Afghan Witness documented over 700 cases of GBV between January 2022 and June 2024, affecting 840 women and girls. Among these, at least 322 were cases of femicide—where women were killed because of their gender. The report also recorded 287 cases of arrest, detention, and enforced disappearances, as well as 75 cases of sexual assault or rape.
Under the Taliban, Afghanistan has become one of the most depressed countries in the world, with the highest rates of mental health issues and suicidal thoughts among its population.
International human rights organizations and experts have condemned the Taliban’s policies, warning that the escalating violence against women constitutes a form of gender apartheid, exacerbating the already dire situation for women and girls in the country.
