KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, has expressed concern over the reported killing of individuals during Taliban security operations in Kabul, calling for an immediate and impartial investigation.
In a post on X on Monday evening, August 10, Bennett said he was seriously concerned about reports of people being killed during security operations in the Afghan capital. He specifically referred to the reported killing of four people in a shooting on Monday and seven others in Kabul’s Eighth Security District in recent days.
“Prompt, impartial investigs needed,” Bennett said. “Any use of lethal force must comply with international human rights law, including necessity & proportionality.”
Khalid Zadran, the Taliban-appointed spokesperson for the Kabul police command, said Monday morning that four “armed thieves” had been killed in an exchange of fire with Taliban forces.
According to Zadran, armed men had entered a house in the area under the Taliban’s Eighteenth Security District in Kabul with the intention of carrying out a robbery. He said Taliban forces arrived at the scene and exchanged fire with the suspects, resulting in the deaths of “four armed robbers.”
Zadran also claimed that two handguns were recovered from the men.
There is no independent or credible information available about the identities of those killed or the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Ten days earlier, Taliban police had also announced that seven armed thieves were killed during an armed confrontation with Taliban forces in Kabul’s Eighth Security District. No independent information has been released about the identities of those individuals either.
The Taliban have previously shot and killed people accused of theft, actions critics have described as extrajudicial or summary executions. The group has also been accused in some cases of killing civilians and opponents under the pretext of labeling them “armed thieves.”
The latest cases come amid broader concerns over extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations under Taliban rule. In a report published on July 28 covering the period from April to June 2026, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented at least eight killings involving former government officials and members of the former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), along with 29 cases of arbitrary arrest or detention and five cases of torture or ill-treatment.
In addition, a March 2026 report by the rights group Rawadari documented at least 611 cases of targeted, mysterious, or extrajudicial killings and injuries across Afghanistan in 2025, marking an increase of more than 40% compared with the previous year.
The report said victims included former government employees, individuals accused of links to opposition groups, protesters, tribal elders, and other community figures. It also expressed concerns over the lack of transparent investigations and accountability in such cases.
While the Taliban say they have restored security nationwide, residents, civil society activists, and rights groups continue to raise concerns over civilian protection, transparent investigations, and accountability for perpetrators.
