KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A 32-year-old woman was brutally tortured and killed with a heated metal rod in Taywara district of western Ghor province, in an incident witnessed by her four young children, according to local sources.
Images and videos obtained by KabulNow show extensive burn marks and bruises across the woman’s body. Her head and face, neck, both arms, legs and other parts of her body bear what appear to be marks caused by a heated metal object. Extensive bruising is also visible across her body, indicating severe physical assault.
In the footage, several women are seen displaying the burned and bruised body of the victim, while the sound of children crying can be heard inside the house.
At least two informed sources from Ghor confirmed to KabulNow that the woman was Noria, a 32-year-old resident of Taywara district.
According to the sources, Noria was originally from Khwaja village in Pasaband district of Ghor. She married a man from Posht Tangi village in Taywara district about 10 years ago.
The sources said on Sunday, October 4, that Noria was killed by her husband inside their home about two weeks earlier.
Noria and her husband had four children – three daughters and one son. One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the children were present and witnessed their mother being tortured and killed.
Her body reportedly remained inside the house for about 24 hours after her death before she was buried.
The Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the case. Sources, however, confirmed that Noria’s husband has been arrested on suspicion of killing her.
One source attributed the killing to a family dispute. According to the source, Noria and her mother-in-law initially had a verbal argument. Her husband then intervened, and as tensions escalated, he allegedly tortured Noria before killing her.
Taywara is one of the remote and underdeveloped districts of Ghor province. Due to limited access to telecommunications and the internet, many cases of domestic violence and other incidents in the district do not reach the media. Only some of the most severe cases are reported.
A dark history of violence against women in Ghor
The self-immolation of a young woman named Abida, reportedly in an attempt to escape a forced marriage, was among the most brutal cases reported from Taywara last year.
Abida, 20, set herself on fire on April 27, 2025, in Darzab Nili village of Taywara district and later died. Sources said a local Taliban commander, Haji Mohammad Rahmani, had intended to marry her to his brother, Mohammad Azim. According to the sources, Abida set herself on fire to avoid the forced marriage.
In another case, a woman and a man were shot dead on March 10, 2022, in Lal-Sorkh village of Taywara. Local sources at the time said Taliban members were responsible for the killings and accused the two victims of having an “extramarital relationship.” The Taliban police command in Ghor later rejected that account, saying relatives of the woman were responsible for the killing after an alleged suspect was arrested.
Violence against women is not limited to Taywara. Other parts of Ghor have also repeatedly witnessed severe cases of violence against women.
On April 28 this year, an 18-year-old woman in Pasaband district died of suffocation after allegedly being tortured by her husband. The woman, identified as Farzana, had reportedly been married to a man named Mohibullah in exchange for 600,000 Afghanis. Her relatives said she had faced violence at her husband’s home and had complained of threats to her life before her death. Images of her body showed signs of beating and strangulation.
Even in Ghor’s provincial capital, Firoz Koh, where security forces and judicial authorities are based, cases of violence against women continue to be reported.
On June 10, 2024, a young woman named Fatima was killed by her husband in the Migrants’ Township in Firoz Koh. The Taliban confirmed the killing and arrested Fatima’s husband, Shahabuddin, describing the case as an “honour-related” crime. No further details about the case have been made public.
Since the Taliban returned to power and dismantled institutions and laws designed to protect women, cases of violence against women, particularly severe forms of violence, have continued to be reported.
On April 26, 2023, a 16-year-old girl named Zarminah was killed in Sad Siah village in the Sarband area of Firoz Koh.
Zarmina’s family said a man named Abdul Qudoos, who was a member of the Taliban, had attempted to rape her and killed her after she resisted. She died from blood loss after being shot in the chest. Residents later apprehended Abdul Qudoos and handed him over to Taliban forces. Images of his arrest were subsequently circulated.
One of the most widely documented cases of violence against women in Ghor is the stoning of Rukhshana, whose alleged perpetrators are now in positions of power and authority under the Taliban.
About 12 years ago, on September 25, 2015, 19-year-old Rukhshana was stoned to death in Ghalmin village, north of Firoz Koh, after a ruling by clerics affiliated with the Taliban.
Rukhshana had left her home in an attempt to escape a forced marriage and marry the man she loved. She was later detained by armed men and, following a makeshift trial, accused of adultery and running away from home. She was sentenced to death by stoning. The 23-year-old man who was with her was sentenced to 100 lashes, while Rukhshana was stoned to death.
