KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A man in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province shot and killed his sister-in-law on Friday evening, local sources reported, underscoring the ongoing domestic violence crisis in the country.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told KabulNow that the incident occurred in Jalalabad, the provincial capital. The victim, 28, and mother of two, had been living in the city with her brother-in-law after her husband relocated to a European country, the sources said.
The sources attributed the killing to domestic disputes within the family.
Taliban authorities in Nangarhar have not yet commented on the incident.
Afghanistan has long struggled with widespread domestic abuse, which rights groups say has worsened since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Restrictions on women’s rights, the closure of women’s shelters, and the dismantling of judicial and institutional safeguards have left women and girls increasingly vulnerable to violence.
All women’s protection centers that operated under the previous government have been closed, and access to legal recourse for victims has been limited, further reducing support for women and girls experiencing abuse.
Between January 2022 and June 2024, Afghan Witness, a human rights monitoring initiative, documented at least 840 cases of violence against women and girls, including 332 killings. Experts warn the real figure is likely far higher, as many incidents remain unreported due to stigma and fear of retaliation.
