KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban officials and local sources in Samangan say that two people have been killed in the center and in the district of Feroz Nakhchir of this province.
Hashmatullah Rahmani, spokesperson for the Taliban police command in Samangan, said that today (Monday, May 18), the body of a 27-year-old young man named “Mohammad Israel” was found in the “Pasha Khana” area of Aybak city.
He added that local residents found the body inside a garden, and the circumstances and motive of the killing are still unclear.
However, local sources told the newspaper KabulNow that this young man had gone missing yesterday with a “Pasoo” type vehicle, and today his body was found.
At the same time, local sources have reported that an elderly man in the Feroz Nakhchir district was killed by unknown armed individuals.
According to the sources, this man was a gardener, and unknown armed individuals killed him inside a garden and took with them some seeds of the plant called “henag” from him.
Local Taliban officials have not commented on the killing of this man.
After the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, cases of killings in different parts of the country have significantly increased.
In many cases, the perpetrators of these killings are referred to as “unknown armed individuals,” and the Taliban rarely report the identification and punishment of those responsible.
The incidents are the latest in a growing number of reported violent crimes and mysterious killings in different parts of Afghanistan in recent weeks. Local media and residents have reported several similar cases, including the killing of a woman and two young men, the discovery of a woman’s body in Helmand province, and the death of a young man in southern Afghanistan amid a reported rise in unexplained killings. In an earlier case, a driver was also killed in Kandahar about four weeks ago, adding to growing concerns over insecurity and the lack of clarity surrounding many of these violent incidents across the country.
A report released in March 2026 by Rawadari documented at least 611 cases of targeted, suspicious, or extrajudicial killings and injuries across Afghanistan in 2025, representing an increase of more than 40% compared with the previous year. According to the report, victims included former government employees, individuals accused of links to opposition groups, protesters, tribal elders, and other community figures.
While the Taliban claim to have restored security across the country, residents, civil society activists and human rights groups continue to raise concerns over the authorities’ ability to protect civilians, conduct transparent investigations and bring perpetrators to justice.
This incident reflects the continuing security challenges in Afghanistan, particularly the lack of clear accountability and investigation mechanisms in cases of targeted killings. The repeated pattern of unresolved violent crimes contributes to growing fear among local residents and highlights the need for stronger law enforcement and transparent judicial processes to ensure justice and public safety.
