KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A teenage boy and a young woman have died by suicide in separate incidents in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, local sources told KabulNow, amid growing reports of suicides among young people under Taliban rule.
According to local sources, the 16-year-old boy hanged himself following an argument with his father in the Yakh Kariz area of Kandahar city’s 15th security district on Wednesday afternoon, November 11.
In a separate incident, a 20-year-old woman hanged herself in the Shir Sorkh area of Dand district, sources said. The woman was originally from Arghandab district of Kandahar province. The motive behind her death remains unclear.
No further details about either incident were immediately available. Local Taliban authorities have not commented on the cases.
The deaths are the latest in a series of reported suicides across Afghanistan, particularly involving young people and women. Poverty, unemployment, domestic violence, forced marriages, psychological distress and limited access to mental health services have been identified as contributing factors in many such cases.
Earlier this week, two other suicide cases were reported in eastern Afghanistan. A 17-year-old 10th-grade student died by suicide in Khost province, while a 34-year-old man, who served as a soldier under the previous Afghan government, reportedly took his own life in neighboring Logar province because of economic hardship.
Afghanistan continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis, with nearly 22 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Widespread poverty, unemployment and restrictions imposed by the Taliban, particularly on women and girls, have further intensified the challenges facing millions of Afghans.
