KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – According to documents obtained by the KabulNow, residents of the Mulla Ghulam area in central Bamyan province have complained about ongoing harassment and abuse by a number of Taliban police officers. They said the officers recently severely beat and stabbed two young men, identified as Wahid and Ali Asghar.
In a copy of a formal complaint submitted by residents to the Taliban governor’s office and seen by KabulNow, several Taliban members are named, including Raz Mohammad, commander of the Qarghana-To highway checkpoint; Shir Agha, an officer from Bamyan’s Fourth Police District; Raz Mohammad’s brother, Shams-ul-Rahman, also an officer in the Fourth Police District; Raz Mohammad’s son, Gul Amin, a security employee at Bamyan Provincial Hospital; as well as individuals identified as Azad, Dawajan, and Shir Agha.
Residents of the village described these individuals as “troublemakers” and “adventurists,” alleging that they have continuously harassed local people over the past four years.
The complaint lists several incidents, including gunfire by Raz Mohammad’s sons at a wedding ceremony, an armed attack on the home of a man named Rais Dawood and the beating of his son Salman, the beating of another individual referred to as “Reza’s son,” and the assault of bakery workers opposite Mulla Ghulam Hospital, during which their motorcycles were taken. These incidents are cited as major examples of the ongoing abuse faced by residents of the Mulla Ghulam area.
According to the complaint, the most recent incident occurred on the fifth day of the current solar month, when Wahid and Ali Asghar were “unjustly” beaten and stabbed by these individuals. The document states that Wahid is currently hospitalized at Bamyan Provincial Hospital after sustaining injuries from five knife wounds, while Ali Asghar was transferred to Kabul for medical treatment due to a broken nose.
Residents said that because the accused individuals are “powerful,” they have not been prosecuted over the past four years despite repeatedly committing crimes.
They also alleged that Bamyan police detained several “innocent” people following the beating of Wahid and Ali Asghar in an attempt to “create the impression that Wahid was part of a gang.”
Residents of Mulla Ghulam village told the Taliban governor’s office that they are fed up with the situation and have demanded that action be taken to stop these individuals.
However, a source told KabulNow that the Taliban-linked individuals are involved in distributing narcotic tablets so-called “Tablet K” in Bamyan and have even provided these tablets to some women and girls. According to the source, Wahid attempted to prevent the distribution of the tablets to two young women. As a result, the individuals allegedly attacked him while armed in Mulla Ghulam Park on the evening of the January 25, beating him and stabbing him with a knife.
The source added that Ali Asghar, a 16-year-old boy, had no connection to the incident and was unjustly beaten by Taliban members, resulting in his nose being broken.
Based on information from the source, the Taliban governor’s office initially advised residents to settle the matter through local elders. Subsequently, the Taliban governor of Bamyan, Gul Haidar Shafaq, conveyed a message asserting the group’s authority, indicating that residents should be satisfied simply with being alive.
In a statement, the Taliban governor’s office described the incident as a “family and ethnic dispute between two families” and said it had been resolved through the governor’s direct mediation. The Taliban governor’s spokesperson in Bamyan rejected reports of Tablet K distribution by Taliban officers, calling them “lies and rumors,” and said the dispute between the two sides was caused by a “verbal altercation.”
The incident comes amid broader concerns about the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities under Taliban rule.
In its World Report 2026, Human Rights Watch documented cases of forced displacement, physical abuse, and intimidation targeting Shia Hazaras, Uzbeks, and Ismaili Shias. The report cited a July 2025 incident in which Taliban authorities forcibly displaced around 25 Hazara families in Bamyan following a land dispute, as well as bans on Shia religious books and gatherings in the province. Separately, a UN report noted that dozens of Ismaili Shias in Badakhshan were abused and threatened with death, while Uzbeks in Faryab were briefly detained after protesting local disputes—highlighting persistent rights concerns across multiple regions of Afghanistan.
