KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Armed nomads, known as Kuchis, have reportedly killed a local resident in southeastern Ghazni province after a dispute over farmland.
Local sources identified the victim as Abdul Latif, who was shot on Sunday, 22 June, in Nawur district, a Hazara-populated area of the province. He died from his injuries while being transported to a hospital in Kabul.
Sources told KabulNow that the incident unfolded when villagers attempted to prevent over 1,000 livestock belonging to the Kuchis from grazing on their farmland. A verbal argument reportedly escalated, leading the nomads to open fire, critically injuring Latif.
Local Taliban authorities have yet to comment on the incident. However, local sources say three of the armed nomads have been arrested.
Residents are demanding justice and the prosecution of those involved.
This is the latest in a series of violent clashes between nomadic Kuchis and Hazara communities. Tensions typically rise each spring as the Kuchis migrate to the central highlands. Locals accuse them of damaging crops, seizing pastures, and threatening villagers.
The dispute over land and grazing rights is decades old. But since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, locals say clashes have become more frequent and violent, with the group often accused of siding with the nomads.
An investigation by KabulNow has documented a rise in violence, extortion, and land grabs associated with tensions between Kuchis and local communities in several provinces, including Ghazni, Maidan Wardak, Bamyan, Daykundi, Takhar, Parwan, and Kabul.
