KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A former member of a US-supported Afghan special forces unit who had recently returned from the United States was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the southeastern province of Khost, local sources and Taliban authorities said.
The victim, identified as Nangyali, was killed on Sunday in Khost city, according to a source in Khost province who spoke to KabulNow. Nangyali was a resident of Matun district in Khost and had served in the Khost Protection Force (KPF) during the former Western-backed Afghan government.
The Taliban police command in Khost confirmed the killing, saying Nangyali was shot dead in front of a hospital in Khost city. In a statement, the local Taliban authorities attributed the incident to a personal dispute and said investigations were ongoing to identify and arrest the perpetrators.
Local sources, however, said Nangyali had no known personal enemies.
The KPF was a specialized force that operated primarily in Khost province and worked closely with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the two-decade US-led military mission in Afghanistan. The unit was composed largely of local recruits and conducted counterinsurgency and security operations in the region.
Nangyali was among thousands of Afghan security personnel evacuated from the country following the collapse of the former government and the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. He had spent several years in the United States before returning home.
The killing comes amid a series of reported attacks on former members of Afghanistan’s security and intelligence services in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, former intelligence officer Mohammad Ali Tofan was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the central province of Daikundi. In a separate incident in the same province, former military officer Yaseer Hussaini was also killed by unknown gunmen.
Last week, a former police officer identified as Sayed Jan was reportedly stabbed to death by unidentified attackers in southern Zabul province, according to local sources.
The Taliban say they have restored security across Afghanistan and remain committed to a general amnesty announced after they took power in 2021.
The United Nations and human rights groups, however, have continued to document abuses against former government officials and security personnel since the Taliban takeover, including killings, arbitrary detentions, and torture.
In his latest quarterly report to the U.N. Security Council, Secretary-General António Guterres said the United Nations recorded at least five killings, 20 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and eight cases of torture or ill-treatment involving former Afghan security personnel between January and March 2026.
Human Rights Watch and other organizations have said many such incidents, particularly in rural areas, may go unreported because families fear retaliation.
