KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Two men and a seven-year-old child were found dead in three separate incidents in different provinces of Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, local sources reported, amid a recent surge in mysterious killings under Taliban rule.
In southern Kandahar province, a 42-year-old man was discovered dead in a garden in Panjwai district on Thursday. The man was originally from Kandahar’s 8th district. The motive for the killing remains unknown, the sources said.
In a second incident in neighboring Uruzgan province, a man was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Khas Uruzgan district on Wednesday. Local sources said the victim was accompanying a female doctor as her mahram or close male relative, required to accompany her, at a clinic in the district.
Separately, in eastern Khost province, a seven-year-old child who went missing on Wednesday afternoon was found dead the following day in a water reservoir. Sources reported that the child had been killed before being dumped in the reservoir. The child’s father works as a three-wheeler driver, and the family had no known personal disputes with anyone, according to the sources.
The latest cases form part of a broader pattern of mysterious killings and violent crimes reported across Afghanistan in recent weeks, including incidents involving young people such as teenage boys and girls in various provinces.
A March 2026 report by the Afghan rights group Rawadari documented at least 611 cases of targeted, mysterious or extrajudicial killings and injuries across the country in 2025. That figure represented an increase of more than 40 percent from the previous year. Victims included former government employees, individuals accused of links to opposition groups, protesters, tribal elders and other community figures.
While the Taliban say they have restored security nationwide since returning to power in 2021, residents, civil society activists and rights groups continue to express concern over the protection of civilians, the absence of independent investigations and the lack of accountability for those responsible.
