KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources in Helmand say that a young man has been killed by “armed robbers” in Lashkargah, the center of the province.
According to the sources, the young man was killed on Friday evening (April 24) in the “Bolan” area of District 10 in Lashkargah city.
Sources say that the young man had sold his car and was on his way to take the money home, but robbers shot and killed him along the way and stole his money.
Sources add that armed robberies have recently increased significantly in Lashkargah city.
The newspaper KabulNow has also received a video of an armed robbery in the “Karte Lagan” area of Lashkargah, in which robbers stole a motorcycle and belongings from two young men around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday (April 23).
Local Taliban officials in Helmand have not yet commented on these incidents.
This killing comes amid a series of similar crimes reported in the cities of Afghanistan in recent months.
A report released in March 2026 by the UK-based human rights group Rawadari documented at least 611 cases of targeted, suspicious or extrajudicial killings and injuries across Afghanistan in 2025 — a rise of more than 40% from the previous year. The victims included former government employees, individuals accused of links to opposition groups, protesters, tribal elders and other community figures.
The report also highlighted a sharp increase in arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances. At least 2,559 people were unlawfully detained in 2025, more than double 2024’s figure of 885 and four times higher than 2023. Detainees included 138 former government employees, 77 civil society members and human rights defenders, including seven women, and 192 individuals accused of links to opposition groups.
Taliban authorities have repeatedly claimed that they have restored order and enhanced security compared with the period before 2021. However, human rights groups and ordinary Afghans continue to criticize them for failing to protect civilians and for conducting transparent investigations into such crimes.
Furthermore, these incidents reflect an ongoing pattern of insecurity and lack of accountability, raising concerns among residents about personal safety and the continuation of unresolved criminal cases across different regions of Afghanistan.
This incident reflects the broader concerns about public safety and the lack of transparent investigations into violent crimes in Afghanistan, where many cases remain unresolved and perpetrators often go unidentified.
