KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Two young men were shot dead in separate incidents in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province on Thursday, local sources said, amid a rise in mysterious and targeted killings across the country.
In the first incident, a rickshaw driver identified as Fawad was killed in Jalalabad, the provincial capital, on Thursday night. Sources said armed men hired his vehicle in the city’s first district and shot him during the journey.
In the second case, a man named Tariq was fatally shot by unidentified armed individuals in the Shergar Nawabad area of Shinwar district on the same day.
The motives for both killings remain unknown. Local Taliban authorities have not commented on the incidents.
The incidents follow reports of at least four similar cases last week in Herat, Kabul, Balkh, and Helmand provinces, where two young men, a medical specialist, and a child were abducted or killed in separate events.
Armed robberies and other violent crimes have also increased, heightening fear among Afghan civilians under Taliban rule.
Despite Taliban claims of restored nationwide security since their 2021 return to power, residents, human rights groups, and activists have criticized the authorities for failing to protect civilians and for a lack of transparency in investigating such crimes.
