KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Two former military personnel who served under the previous Afghan government were killed in separate incidents last week in the provinces of Kunar and Jawzjan, local sources have confirmed.
In Kunar, unidentified individuals reportedly killed a former special police forces member in the Nurgal district. A source told KabulNow that the victim, identified as Nusrat, was targeted with a hand grenade near the district market on Friday night and died in the attack.
Following the fall of the former republic, Nusrat had been working at a local gas station. According to the source, he had no known personal disputes, and the perpetrators of the killing have not yet been identified.
Taliban officials in Kunar have not commented on the incident.
In Jawzjan, sources reported that the body of another former soldier, Ahmad Royin, was discovered on Thursday.
Initial reports indicated that Royin worked as a taxi driver and had gone missing days earlier. However, a source clarified that he was a former army officer who had turned to taxi driving after the Taliban’s return to power. Royin was reportedly the son of a prominent local figure closely affiliated with Abdul Rashid Dostum, the former Afghan vice president and leader of the National Islamic Movement.
According to the source, Royin left home last Monday for the Aqcha roundabout and never returned. His body was found on Thursday. He had reportedly been shot before his face was burned.
The motive behind Royin’s killing remains unknown.
These killings are part of a growing pattern of mysterious deaths and violent incidents across Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover, carried out with impunity. Public concern over safety and lawlessness has risen sharply since the Taliban seized power, despite the group’s repeated claims of ensuring national security.
Since the takeover nearly four years ago, Taliban authorities have been accused of detaining, torturing, and executing hundreds of former officials and security personnel. Human rights organizations continue to criticize the Taliban for these actions, urging them to uphold the rights and protections of all citizens, including former government employees.
