KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A 12-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan’s Badghis and Nuristan provinces on Wednesday, local sources and Taliban authorities said, as reports of violent crime continue to rise across the country.
Armed robbers shot and killed the boy while he was grazing cattle in the Ab Kamari district of Badghis province at around 10 a.m. local time, according to local sources. The attackers took the child’s cattle with them after the shooting. Local Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
In a separate case, a 17-year-old girl was killed by a shotgun in the Nurgram district of Nuristan province, the Taliban police command in the province said. Hassan Saqib, spokesperson for the provincial police command, said the motive for the killing remained unclear. Authorities have arrested the girl’s father and two other people, and an investigation is underway.
The two killings form part of a broader pattern of reported violent crimes and mysterious attacks in recent weeks. Cases involving young people — including teenage boys and girls as well as young men and women — have been recorded in multiple provinces. In many of these incidents, perpetrators have been described by local accounts as unidentified armed individuals.
The Taliban authorities say that they restored security nationwide after returning to power in 2021. Residents, civil society activists and human rights groups, however, continue to express concern about the authorities’ ability to protect civilians, conduct transparent investigations and hold perpetrators accountable.
