KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Two young men and a woman were killed in separate incidents in northern and northeastern Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, according to Taliban authorities and local sources, in the latest reported violent incidents in the country under Taliban rule.
In northeastern Badakhshan Province, unidentified armed men shot a woman named Lailuma in Ishkashim District on Thursday morning as she was on her way to her tailoring workshop in a local women’s market, according to local sources.
The sources said Lailuma, a member of the Ismaili Shia community and the wife of local singer Salam Maftoon, was initially wounded in the attack and later died in hospital. The Taliban police command in Badakhshan confirmed the incident and said an investigation had been launched, without giving further details.
In northern Jowzjan Province, two separate killings were reported on Wednesday, May 6, according to the Taliban police command.
Abdul Sattar Halimi, spokesperson for the provincial police, said a 15-year-old boy identified as Nooruddin was shot dead in Fayzabad District, while a 32-year-old man, Del Agha, was stabbed to death in Aqcha District while irrigating farmland.
Halimi said several suspects had been detained in both cases, though authorities have not provided details on possible motives.
The incidents are the latest in a growing number of reported violent crimes and mysterious killings in different parts of Afghanistan in recent months. Local media and residents have reported several similar cases in the past few weeks alone, including the killing of a woman in Helmand province earlier this week, a mosque imam in Nangarhar, a driver in Kandahar, and a private bank manager in Kabul.
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.
