KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A 65-year-old Hazara man has been found dead in Uruzgan province, central Afghanistan, with local sources accusing armed nomadic Kuchis of carrying out the killing.
According to local sources, the victim, identified as Amanullah Hassani, went missing from his village in Gizab district three days ago and was found dead on Friday. The motive behind the killing remains unknown, with sources noting that Hassani was a farmer with no known personal disputes, including with the Kuchis.
Villagers say Hassani’s death is the latest in a series of violent incidents in the area, noting that several other residents have previously been killed by armed Kuchis. They accused local Taliban authorities of ignoring repeated complaints about the ongoing violence.
Local Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
Decades-old disputes between Hazara communities and Kuchis, typically over land and grazing rights, have reportedly worsened since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Locals say the Taliban have often sided with Kuchis in these conflicts, leaving Hazara populations in rural areas especially exposed to attacks and intimidation.
An investigation by KabulNow documented growing violence, extortion, and property disputes linked to Kuchi-local tensions across multiple provinces, including Maidan Wardak, Bamyan, Daykundi, Takhar, Parwan, and Kabul.
