KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A teenage boy died after shooting himself in Afghanistan’s southern Uruzgan province, local Taliban authorities said, in the latest reported case amid rising suicides among young men and women in the country.
Bilal Uruzgani, spokesperson for the Taliban security command in Uruzgan, said the incident took place on Monday in the Sarkhom area of Tirin Kot, the provincial capital. He said the teenager shot himself following a verbal dispute. Uruzgani provided no further details about the boy’s identity, age or the nature of the dispute.
The exact circumstances and motive remain unclear. An investigation is underway, Uruzgani added.
The case is the latest in a series of reported suicides involving young people across Afghanistan. Local sources, rights groups and activists have linked some of these cases to domestic violence, economic hardship, widespread unemployment, forced marriages and mental health difficulties.
Afghanistan has faced severe economic and humanitarian pressures since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The United Nations estimates that nearly 22 million people require humanitarian assistance in 2026. Women and children are among the groups most vulnerable to the effects of poverty and limited access to basic services.
Young people are particularly affected by economic hardship, widespread unemployment and Taliban restrictions on public life, which have made daily life increasingly difficult. Depression and other mental health challenges are also reported to be rising among young people, with some cases resulting in self-harm, including suicide.
An investigation by Etilaatroz and KabulNow found that at least 213 people, most of them under the age of 20, died by suicide in Afghanistan in 2023. The actual number is believed to be higher. Many cases go unreported because of social stigma surrounding suicide and mental health, as well as difficulties in documenting incidents across the country.
