KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The body of a former member of Afghanistan’s security forces has been found hanged at his home in Dara district of northeastern Panjshir province, local sources told KabulNow.
A relative identified the former security force member as Dadul Rahman, son of Malik Khan.
According to the sources, his body was discovered hanging in the courtyard of his house in the Abdullah Khil Valley of Dara district on Friday morning, November 13.
Dadul Rahman had served in Afghanistan’s security forces under the former republic and was stationed in Kunduz province before the collapse of the government in August 2021.
The sources said he had been unemployed since the Taliban returned to power and had been struggling with financial difficulties.
His death has been described as suicide, reportedly motivated by economic hardship. He is survived by five children.
Local Taliban authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.
The incident comes amid continued reports of human rights violations against former Afghan government officials and security personnel, despite the Taliban’s announcement of a general amnesty following their takeover in August 2021.
In August 2023, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that it had documented at least 800 cases of human rights violations against former government officials and members of the former Afghan security forces between August 15, 2021, and June 30, 2023. These included extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, ill-treatment and enforced disappearances.
Subsequent reports indicate that abuses have continued. According to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), citing UNAMA’s findings, at least 27 former members of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) were killed between January and September 2025. During the same period, UNAMA documented 52 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention and 11 cases of torture and ill-treatment involving former civilian government officials and security personnel.
The Taliban announced a general amnesty for former government officials and security force members shortly after taking control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Senior Taliban officials have repeatedly pledged to uphold the amnesty and said that those responsible for violating it would be held accountable. However, the United Nations has continued to document violations against people covered by the pledge.
The written text of the general amnesty has never been made publicly available, raising questions about its scope and implementation. Human rights organisations have also raised concerns about the lack of accountability for those responsible for abuses against former government personnel.
In its latest report covering May 1 to July 31, 2026, the UN Secretary-General further reported that UNAMA had documented at least 12 killings, 13 arbitrary arrests and detentions, and three cases of torture and ill-treatment involving former government officials and former security force members. The report said these incidents violated the general amnesty announced by the Taliban leader on August 17, 2021.
The United Nations has repeatedly called on the Taliban authorities to investigate these violations and ensure accountability for those responsible. However, reports of killings, disappearances and arbitrary detention of former government personnel continue five years after the Taliban takeover.
