KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A former local militia commander in northern Afghanistan’s Jawzjan province has been shot dead, sources told local media.
The sources said the commander, identified as Mohammad Yousuf, known as “Qomandan”, was a former member of pro-government popular forces and had close ties to Uzbek strongman Abdul Rashid Dostum. He was killed at around 10:00pm on Wednesday night (January 7) in the center of Khwaja Dokoh district, shortly after leaving a wedding ceremony, when armed men opened fire on him.
The motive for the killing remains unclear. However, some sources allege that members of the Taliban were involved in the attack.
According to the sources, Mohammad Yousuf had recently been deported from Iran and returned to Jawzjan. They added that after his return, he was detained and interrogated by Taliban forces before being released.
Local Taliban officials in Jawzjan have not commented on the incident.
Despite the Taliban leader’s announcement of a general amnesty following the group’s return to power, arrests and killings of former security and militia members have continued. The Taliban have repeatedly been accused of carrying out revenge attacks against former military and security personnel.
