KABUL – A 70-year-old man has taken his own life by hanging in northern Faryab province, local sources said.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in the Bibi Ayena area of Maimana, the provincial capital.
The man, identified as Nazir, was originally from Pashtun Kot district. According to sources, he hanged himself inside the bathroom of his home. While domestic violence was reported as a possible factor, the exact cause remains unclear.
Taliban authorities in Faryab have not yet commented on the case.
Four years into Taliban rule, Afghanistan faces a deepening mental health crisis. A 2023 Gallup survey reported that 98 percent of Afghans experience mental health challenges. Poverty, unemployment, and lack of treatment for mental illness remain major drivers of suicide across the country.
Cases have been rising particularly among women and girls, often linked to forced marriages, domestic violence, and growing despair. Taliban restrictions on women’s education, employment, and mobility have further intensified the psychological toll. The group’s dismantling of legal protections against domestic abuse has left many women without recourse to justice.
Reliable data on suicide remains scarce, as many cases go unreported due to stigma and Taliban controls on the media.
