Local sources in Hesa-e Awal district of Panjshir province have expressed concern over an increase in what they describe as “serial killings” carried out by the Taliban. They say that over the past few months, the Taliban have killed more than 10 members of a single family in separate operations on charges of membership in a “kidnapping gang.” According to these sources, those killed include the father, sons, uncles, and cousins from one family. They add that a number of these individuals were detained in Kabul and died as a result of torture, while others were killed during Taliban intelligence operations in Panjshir.
These sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban enter villages at night without coordinating with local elders and village heads, and carry out military operations. According to them, Taliban forces claim to have a complete list of the family’s members and are seeking to detain or kill the remaining relatives. They say that a number of the family’s surviving members, including women, children, and men, have fled their homes out of fear of arrest or death and have taken refuge in unknown locations. They warn that these individuals continue to face the risk of detention or death.
The sources add that the continuation of such operations has spread an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among residents and disrupted the calm of the region.
Ali (pseudonym), one of the local sources in Panjshir province, described the rise in serial killings in Zani village, in Hesa-e Awal district of the province, carried out by the Taliban as alarming. He says that over the past few months, the Taliban have killed more than 10 members of a single family in separate operations on charges of membership in a “kidnapping gang.” According to him, a number of these individuals were detained in Kabul and died under torture, while others were killed during intelligence operations in Panjshir.
This Panjshir resident told the Hasht-e Subh Daily: “Over the past few months, the Taliban have killed more than 10 members of a single family, one after another, under the label of a ‘kidnapping gang.’ These individuals include the father, sons, uncles, and cousins of the family. Some of them were detained in Kabul and died under torture, while others were killed in intelligence operations in Panjshir. Hosseini, Karimullah, Habil, and several others are among those killed in these operations.”
Ali also says that the Taliban enter villages at night without coordinating with village heads and carry out military operations. According to him, the Taliban claim to have a complete list of the family’s members and are seeking to detain or kill the remaining members.
This Panjshir resident adds: “The remaining members of this family, including women, children, and men, have left their homes out of fear of arrest or death and have taken refuge in unknown locations. They are now worried they could be targeted anywhere.”
Sattar (pseudonym), another local source in Panjshir, also confirms these claims and says that in recent months, the Taliban have carried out several military operations in Hesa-e Awal district to target members of this family.
This Panjshir resident adds: “The Taliban’s nighttime operations have spread fear among the people. Residents do not leave their homes after eight o’clock at night for fear of arrest or gunfire. The Taliban’s brigade forces, which fall under the Ministry of Defense, do not coordinate with local Panjshir authorities in carrying out these operations and take orders only from the brigade commander. For this reason, they do not consider themselves bound to comply with the directives of provincial authorities.”
Hussain Ali, another local source in Panjshir, says that serial killings and the deaths of residents of this province, under various pretexts, have continued since the Taliban’s takeover of Panjshir. He adds that the Taliban carry out such actions to create fear and weaken the morale of residents, due to security concerns and fear of public opposition.
According to him, Taliban restrictions on media activity and limited coverage of these events have meant that many of these cases receive little attention in the media. He also says that curfews have been imposed on residents of the region, and these restrictions have disrupted people’s daily lives.
This young man says: “The killings taking place in Panjshir are carried out to gain greater control over the region, weaken the morale of the people, and create an atmosphere of fear. Despite the Taliban’s control over Panjshir, they still feel insecure, and under various pretexts, they detain people, especially young men and former military personnel. Many of these individuals are detained, beaten, and tortured on charges of collaborating with the Resistance Front, and some lose their lives. People are under severe pressure and threat, and after seven or eight o’clock in the evening, out of fear of arrest or confrontation with Taliban forces, they cannot leave their homes or attend to agricultural work and irrigating their land, which is usually done at night.”
These claims about serial killings in Panjshir come as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in its latest quarterly report, described the human rights situation in Afghanistan as concerning. The report, covering the period from January to March 2026, documents widespread human rights violations, including restrictions imposed on women, risks facing returnees, public executions, pressure on the media, and restrictions on civil society activists.
According to the report, despite the Taliban’s declaration of a general amnesty, at least 14 cases of extrajudicial killing, 28 cases of arbitrary detention, and seven cases of torture and mistreatment of former members of Afghanistan’s security and defense forces have been documented. Among the victims are individuals who had recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan.
Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, has also said that Afghanistan is facing a deep human rights crisis, one that, in his words, has dramatically transformed the lives of the country’s people, particularly women and girls.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
قتلهای زنجیرهای در پنجشیر؛ منابع: طالبان بیش از ۱۰ عضو یک خانواده را کشتهاند
