KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A member of the former Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) who had recently returned from Iran has been found dead in Kabul, local sources say.
The soldier, Walid Naiemi from Panjshir province, went missing 10 days ago. His body was discovered at the Kabul Forensic Medicine Department on Monday, according to the sources.
Sources said Naiemi fled to Iran following the fall of the previous government in August 2021. He had recently returned amid mass deportations of Afghan migrants from Iran. He had previously served in the special police forces under the former government.
Walid Naiemi’s brother, Samim Naiemi, confirmed his death on social media and shared reports claiming the Taliban were responsible, although the group has yet to comment.
The killing comes amid continued attacks on former members of Afghanistan’s security forces, despite the Taliban’s announcement of a “general amnesty” after their return to power in August 2021. Human rights organizations and UN agencies have repeatedly raised concerns that these promises have not been kept, pointing to ongoing arrests, detentions, disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.
According to the UK-based rights group Rawadari, at least 20 former government officials, mostly soldiers, have been killed across Afghanistan since January 2025. The group warned that such killings are creating a climate of fear among former security personnel and their families.
This incident comes as Iran and Pakistan have intensified the deportation of Afghan migrants in recent months, sending over two million back since January, many of them former government employees, security personnel, journalists, and activists. Many returnees fear detention, torture, or death upon their return to Afghanistan.
