KABUL, AFGHANISTAN- Local sources in Sangtakht wa Bandar district of Daikundi province say that a 21-year-old woman who allegedly attempted to flee with a man was killed by her father.
According to sources, the woman, identified as Halima, was a resident of the Siah Khark-e Watirma village in Sangtakht wa Bandar district. She was allegedly shot dead by her father with a hunting weapon (pellet gun) two days ago.
A source told KabulNow that Halima had planned to escape to Kabul with a Tajik (an ethnic group in Afghanistan) man. However, they were identified at the Sangtakht wa Bandar market while they were preparing to board a vehicle.
The source said the man was not a resident of Daikundi and had travelled to the province to help the woman escape.
According to the source, after they were identified, the two were initially taken to a Taliban security office. The woman was later handed over to her family.
The source said Halima spent the night at her father’s house and was killed by him the following morning with a pellet gun.
The source identified the father as “Safdar” and said he went to the Taliban security office himself and admitted that he had killed his daughter. According to sources, the man is currently in Taliban custody in the district centre of Sangtakht wa Bandar.
Escaping with young men, often with the intention of marriage, has become relatively common among young couples in Daikundi.
Forced marriages and families’ failure to consider the wishes of young women and men are among the factors contributing to such incidents, according to local accounts.
The Taliban classify such cases as “running away from home” and have criminalized the act. The group has publicly flogged individuals accused of fleeing from home.
The reported killing in Daikundi is not an isolated case of domestic violence in Afghanistan. In another recent incident, Taliban authorities in Nangarhar province said that a man killed his wife and daughter and injured his son in Surkh Rod district.
Such cases highlight the ongoing prevalence of domestic violence in Afghanistan, where women and children continue to face serious risks within their own families amid social pressures, forced marriages, economic hardship, and limited access to protection and support services.
Afghanistan has long had one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world, a problem that rights groups say has intensified since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
All women’s protection centers and shelters that existed under the previous government have been shut down. Access to legal recourse and institutional support for victims of abuse has been severely limited, leaving many women and girls more vulnerable.
Between January 2022 and June 2024, the human rights monitoring group Afghan Witness documented at least 840 cases of violence against women and girls, including 332 killings. Experts warn the actual figures are likely much higher, as many cases go unreported due to social stigma, fear of retaliation, and lack of access to justice.
