Concerns are rising among residents of Khost Province over the increase in targeted killings and criminal incidents in the region. Many accuse the Taliban of incompetence in providing security and emphasize that most of these incidents occur near Taliban checkpoints. According to these residents, the Taliban are incapable of controlling criminal activities and targeted killings. Simultaneously, some sources claim that the Taliban are involved in systematic killings and massacres of former security forces personnel, targeting them under the guise of unidentified armed individuals.
Findings from the Hasht-e Subh Daily during the current month indicate that 21 individuals, including two former soldiers, have been killed or injured in various shooting and stabbing incidents in Khost Province. Additionally, several vehicles have been stolen from different areas of the province.
Mangal Jan, a resident of Khost City who witnessed a shooting incident targeting a vehicle carrying a former soldier in the province center about a week ago, says the incident occurred near a Taliban checkpoint. According to him, the attackers fled after the shooting.
He further recounts: “I was near the checkpoint when gunfire erupted. Two armed individuals were shooting at a vehicle. They lingered for a few minutes in the area, despite the proximity of Taliban forces, who were merely observing. After the armed men got into their vehicle and drove off, the Taliban emerged from their checkpoint.”
Mangal Jan later realized that as a result of this shooting, a former soldier had been killed. He stated, “There were several people inside the vehicle, including a child, but only one person was killed, who used to be a policeman in the previous government.”
Another resident of Ismailkhel District in Khost Province, speaking on condition of anonymity, recounted that a few days ago, one of the residents of the district was severely wounded by knife attacks carried out by thieves and succumbed to his injuries a day later.
This resident of the Ismailkhel district expressed, “This young man was ruthlessly killed. He was a compassionate and youthful individual. He sustained multiple stab wounds and succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.” He attributed the incident to Taliban incompetence, asserting that locals in the district refrain from venturing out after dark unless necessary, out of fear.
Meanwhile, sources claim that since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, the group has been systematically targeting former military personnel and government employees, and then attributing these killings to unidentified armed individuals.
These sources, who wish to remain anonymous, allege that the Taliban are responsible for the killings of former soldiers and then shift the blame onto unknown armed individuals, while the group consistently claims to have ensured overall security and the safety of people’s lives and property.
This comes as the Taliban attributed the latest incident in Khost Province, which resulted in the death of a doctor and the injury of six others, to familial disputes.
The media office of the Taliban’s security command in Khost province stated in an official statement that they had arrested two individuals in connection with this incident.
It is worth mentioning that residents of Khost Province are concerned about the increase in criminal incidents in the province, as reports of multiple killings have also been documented in the past month in provinces such as Balkh, Herat, Faryab, Ghazni, Kabul, Logar, and Paktia.
