The people of Bamiyan Province are concerned about the recent increase in mysterious killings of former military personnel by unknown armed individuals. Data shows that in the past two months, unidentified gunmen have brutally murdered at least seven people from both the central and rural parts of Bamiyan Province. Local sources report that all of the victims were civilians, and in some cases, their bodies had been mutilated and body parts removed. Sources also suggest that the Taliban are still searching for ex-soldiers and other members of foreign troops who live in Afghanistan. In response to the Taliban’s suspicious activity, the Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan has demanded that the Taliban cease their anomalous behavior.
An anonymous resident of the city centre told Hasht-e-Subh that on February 4, Khalifa Rahab, a driver from the village of Goharjin in Yakawlang’s first district in Bamiyan province, was assassinated by armed men. According to Sayed Abdul, a Bamiyan resident, Sayed Jawed’s bodyguard and the Taliban security chief in the area, they were responsible for the killing. The Taliban have yet to comment on the murder.
Six more people have been reportedly murdered in the districts of Punjab, Saighan, and the province’s center by unidentified armed men. On January 13th, 18-year-old Isa was found dead in a restroom in a market in the Punjab area, having been shot. In February, 22-year-old Alidad, a shepherd from the Shebar district of “Dereshkari” neighborhood, was also shot and killed by unidentified armed individuals.
On February 13, the dismembered body of a young man was found in the Kakrak Valley near the center of Bamiyan. Due to the absence of the skull and face, the identity of the body has yet to be established.
The bodies of three young men, Mohammad Asef, Mohammad Ghani, and Karim, who lived in the village of Khoshkdara, have been found in a valley near Kotel Dandanshekan on the border between Kahmard and Saighan districts of Bamiyan province after they had been missing for a week. According to a resident of Bamiyan who wished to remain anonymous, early investigations suggest that the men were shot by unidentified gunmen with their hands and eyes closed before their bodies were thrown into the valley.
Residents of Bamiyan province have reported a number of deaths and similar events that have not been reported to the media out of fear of the Taliban. None of the victims who were killed in the past two months had a military background. The rise in unexplained killings has caused concern among Bamiyan residents, who accuse the Taliban of failing to provide security and of not finding and punishing the perpetrators.
The Taliban leaders in Bamiyan have confirmed a number of mysterious murders, including the discovery of the bodies of three citizens of Khoshkdara village in Saighan district. They have promised the families of the victims that they will find and punish the killers, but have yet to take any action.
Taliban Chase Ex-Military Officers Impersonating Aid Agencies
Local sources have informed Hasht-e-Subh that the Taliban’s intelligence, suicide bomber, and other investigative and operational divisions are using the names of both national and international aid organizations to target former soldiers and opponents of the Taliban in response to the recent increase in mysterious and targeted killings in Bamiyan.
Two reliable sources in Bamiyan province have reported that ex-soldiers, including members of the former government’s army and commando forces, have been receiving phone calls from various numbers over the past two months.
A source provided Hasht-e-Subh with a phone number and a picture, claiming that Mujahid Zabihullah Hafez, a member of the Taliban’s suicide squad, was the owner of the number. The source alleged that this Taliban member had contacted at least three former soldiers, introducing himself as “Farid,” a representative of the World Food Program (WFP), and offering aid in unspecified locations. The source further claimed that after the soldiers checked Farid’s contact information on WhatsApp, they discovered that Zabihullah Hafez was the person’s name and a member of the Taliban’s suicide division.
Residents of Bamiyan believe the mysterious killings that occurred two months ago may be linked to suspicious phone calls and financial mismanagement by the Taliban. Neither the World Food Program nor the Taliban representatives in Bamiyan have commented on the matter.
In addition to Bamiyan, other provinces are facing similar issues. In Samangan, unidentified armed men broke into the home of a doctor, Najmuddin Sohrabi, who worked at the Dara-e-Soof district hospital with 30 beds, and shot him in front of his family.
The Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan has expressed its concern over the rising number of killings in the country, stating that the current state of human rights violations in Afghanistan is unacceptable. The Commission has warned that if the Taliban do not cease their deliberate killings, the already dire human rights situation in the country will worsen.
