KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A man shot and killed his wife before taking his own life in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province on Monday afternoon, local sources said, amid ongoing reports of domestic violence and killings across the country.
The incident occurred in Spin Boldak district. The man, identified as 30-year-old Owrang, was originally from Sar-e Pul province and had lived in Kandahar for years, the sources said.
The motive for the incident remains unclear, and local Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
The case comes amid ongoing reports of domestic violence and killings across Afghanistan. Between January 2022 and June 2024, Afghan Witness, a project of the Center for Information Resilience, documented 700 incidents of violence targeting 840 women and girls. The recorded cases included femicide, physical abuse, sexual assault, torture, enforced disappearances and other forms of violence.
Afghanistan is experiencing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with approximately 21.9 million people relying on humanitarian assistance, according to United Nations figures. Unemployment and economic hardship remain widespread, particularly among young people, adding pressure on households already struggling to meet basic needs.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban has imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, barring them from secondary and university education, excluding them from many forms of employment and severely limiting their participation in public life. Rights groups have said these measures, combined with the erosion of earlier legal protections and support services, have left women with fewer options for seeking help or justice.
