At least eight people, including several women and children, were killed in separate violent incidents in Kabul and northern Afghanistan over the past two days, according to local sources and Taliban officials, raising fresh concerns about public security under Taliban rule.
In the most deadly incident, Taliban officials in Jawzjan province said unidentified armed men stormed a house in Sheberghan, the provincial capital, late Thursday night, killing five members of a family and wounding two others.
Abdul Sattar Halimi, spokesman for the Taliban police command in Jawzjan, said the victims included a 7-year-old boy and four women, among them a 13-year-old girl.
He said two suspects had been arrested and that investigations were continuing.
Local sources previously told Amu TV that the attackers had entered the house wearing Taliban uniforms before opening fire on family members.
In Kabul, local sources said the bodies of two women, ages 19 and 35, were discovered in the city’s 17th district on Thursday.
Taliban have not publicly commented on the killings or identified the victims.
In a separate incident early Friday, sources told Amu TV that a young man was beheaded by robbers in the Bagh-e Bala area of Kabul and that his vehicle was stolen.
Taliban officials have not commented on that attack either.
The killings have heightened concerns among residents who say violent crime and unexplained killings appear to be increasing despite Taliban claims of improved nationwide security.
Some Kabul residents said fear and uncertainty had grown in recent weeks amid reports of armed robberies, killings and nighttime security incidents in the capital.
Security analysts say such crimes risk undermining public confidence and social stability, particularly as economic hardship and unemployment continue to worsen across the country.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban repeatedly claimed to have restored nationwide security and reduced crime levels.
But reports of targeted killings, violent robberies and unexplained deaths continue to emerge from several provinces, including Kabul.
