KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources in Afghanistan’s southwestern Nimroz province say the bodies of two young men have been found in separate locations in Delaram district.
Sources told KabulNow that the body of a young man identified as Emal Khan was found on Monday afternoon, September 1, in the Khali Nimroz area of Delaram district.
In a similar incident in the district, the body of another young man, identified as Qudratullah, was found on a hill near the Shah Bazaar area, according to local sources.
A local source said Emal Khan and Qudratullah had been “mysteriously” killed.
Taliban authorities in Nimroz have not yet commented on the reported killings or provided information about the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
There are no reliable annual statistics on mysterious killings in Afghanistan. However, reports of unidentified or unexplained killings continue to emerge from different parts of the country.
In many cases, little information is made public about the circumstances of the killings, investigations or whether those responsible have been identified or brought to justice.
Killings have been reported in various parts of Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. While perpetrators are identified in some cases, many killings are attributed to unidentified armed individuals, and the Taliban rarely report the identification and punishment of those responsible.
The reported killings add to a series of violent deaths documented across Afghanistan during August. Based on cases reported, at least 10 people were killed in separate incidents, including two young men in Nimroz, Abdullah Hatif in Kabul, a 42-year-old man in Nuristan, and at least six people in Badghis, Daykundi, Nangarhar and Helmand.
The victims included women, children and former members of Afghanistan’s security forces. In several of the reported cases, the victims were allegedly killed by unidentified gunmen or unknown armed individuals, while the perpetrators and motives remained unclear. The figure represents only killings reported in the cases reviewed and should not be considered a comprehensive nationwide tally.
While the Taliban say they have restored security nationwide since returning to power in 2021, residents, civil society activists, and human rights groups continue to express concern about the authorities’ capacity to protect civilians, conduct transparent investigations, and hold perpetrators accountable.
In its recent report released earlier this month, Rawadari, a London-based human rights organization, documented at least 239 cases of mysterious, extrajudicial, and targeted killings, including those of women and children, across Afghanistan over the past six months.
The rights group emphasizes that the actual number could be much higher, as it was unable to document all cases due to the Taliban creating an atmosphere of fear and exerting pressure on victims’ families to keep such information hidden.
