KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A 20-year-old man was shot and killed by unidentified armed individuals in northern Balkh province on Monday, marking the fifth reported mysterious killing across Afghanistan since Sunday.
The incident occurred in Chahar Bolak district, where the victim was gunned down inside his home. Taliban spokesperson for Balkh security command, Mohammad Essa Wasiq, confirmed the death but provided no further details about the victim or the motive behind the incident.
The perpetrators remain unidentified, and the reason for the killing is still unclear.
This brings the total number of mysterious killings reported to five within last two days, following a series of similar incidents across the country. On Sunday, Jamal Nasir Ghazni, a lecturer at a military university, was shot dead in Kabul’s Arzan Qimat neighborhood.
Meanwhile, in Badakhshan province, a woman and her son were killed in Argo district, and in Faryab province, a 45-year-old man named Saifuddin was gunned down in the capital city of Maymana.
The Taliban have yet to identify the killers or clarify the motives behind these incidents.
These killings come amid rising concerns about safety in the country, with similar cases spiking in recent months. In February alone, at least 25 people, including women and young girls, were killed in similar circumstances, according to KabulNow data.
Despite the Taliban’s claims of restored security since their return to power, these incidents continue to raise concerns about public safety. Human rights groups and activists have criticized the Taliban for failing to protect civilians and conduct transparent investigations into these killings.
