KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Wahid Asghari, the former head of Afghanistan’s National Snooker Federation, was killed in Kabul two days after being abducted, federation officials confirmed, amid a recent surge in mysterious killings and other violent crimes across the country.
Shakib Sakhi, secretary general of the federation, told local outlet TOLOnews that Asghari was taken from his home in the Qala-e-Fathullah area of Kabul on Tuesday this week. His body was later handed over to his family by the Taliban-run forensic medicine department, he said.
The motive for the killing remains unknown. Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the case.
The killing comes amid growing concerns over security and a rise in mysterious killings in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Residents in Kabul and other provinces have reported an increase in violent incidents, including armed robberies, abductions, and targeted attacks, which continue to affect daily life.
Over the past two weeks, at least four other killings have been reported, including the death of a driver in Kandahar, the discovery of a young man’s body in Qarabagh district of Ghazni province, the killing of another man in Jowzjan, and the stabbing of a private bank manager in Kabul.
A report released in March 2026 by UK-based human rights group Rawadari documented at least 611 cases of targeted, suspicious, or extrajudicial killings and injuries across Afghanistan in 2025, an increase of more than 40% compared with the previous year. The victims included former government employees, individuals accused of links to opposition groups, protesters, tribal elders, and other community figures.
Taliban authorities say security has improved nationwide since they took control, arguing that overall violence has fallen compared with previous years. However, human rights groups and residents continue to raise concerns over the persistence of mysterious killings and other violent crimes, as well as limited transparency in the handling of such cases.
