KABUL – Armed men shot dead three members of a family in northern Balkh province late at night, local sources confirmed.
The attack took place on Tuesday, September 23, in Dewali Maidan village of Balkh district. According to the sources, gunmen entered the home of a 59-year-old man, Qudratullah, and opened fire on him, his wife, and his 15-year-old son while they were having dinner.
Qudratullah was originally from Surkh Gunbad village in Dawlatabad district but had lived for years in Dewali Maidan, where he worked as a farmer. His two daughters, one a young adult and the other eight years old, survived the shooting unharmed.
The motive behind the killings is believed to be an enmity, though details remain unclear.
The incident comes amid a series of violent crimes and targeted attacks across Afghanistan. Recently, a teenage boy was found dead in Ghazni’s Jaghori district after several days of being missing.
Last Monday, a man described by local sources as a jihadi figure, Arbab Abdul Aziz, was shot dead in Herat province. Earlier, three children were abducted and killed in separate incidents in Kandahar, Helmand, and Kunar provinces. The perpetrators remain unknown, and Taliban authorities have not commented.
Despite Taliban claims of restoring order, violent crime, including kidnappings, robberies, and targeted killings, continues to rise. Residents say insecurity has worsened under conditions of unemployment, economic hardship, strict Taliban restrictions, and weak law enforcement.
Activists argue that the surge in abductions and murders underscores the Taliban’s failure to deliver on their promise of security and stability since returning to power in 2021.
