KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources told KabulNow that a former security force member named Mohammad Omar was killed by unidentified armed men in Jani Khel district of Paktika province in southeastern Afghanistan.
A source said that Mohammad Omar was shot dead yesterday (Tuesday, June 30) by two men riding a motorcycle.
The source added that Mohammad Omar was a resident of Babokhel village in Jani Khel district and had served in the police during the former Republic government.
After the collapse of the Republic and the Taliban’s return to power, he initially fled to Iran and later to Pakistan.
He had recently returned to Afghanistan to attend his brother’s wedding.
According to the source, Mohammad Omar was killed only five days after his brother’s wedding.
His killing comes just one day after another former security force member was killed in Paktika province.
On Monday, local sources told KabulNow that a former border police officer of the Republic government, identified as Imranullah, who had been working as a cook at the local Gharghasht TV station after the fall of the Republic, was also killed under mysterious circumstances.
The local Taliban authorities in Paktika have not yet commented on the killings of the two former security force members.
The Taliban generally do not comment on the killings of former security personnel, nor do they claim responsibility for such incidents.
However, in most cases, local residents, particularly the victims’ families, accuse the Taliban of being responsible.
Rights groups and citizens have criticized the Taliban for failing to provide protection and for a lack of transparency in investigations, despite claims by the authorities of restored nationwide security.
The UN and human rights groups have also documented widespread abuses by the Taliban since 2021, including extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions of former government officials and security personnel.
In its latest report to the UN Security Council, presented in early 2026, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented at least 14 killings and 28 arbitrary detentions of former Afghan security forces members between October and December 2025, along with cases of torture and ill-treatment.
UNAMA said Taliban authorities have also targeted former officials and soldiers returning from Iran. On September 29, the group’s counter-terrorism unit in Faryab province arrested several former security personnel shortly after their return, with no clear charges against them.
