At least five people were killed in separate attacks by unidentified gunmen in the northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, local sources told Amu TV on Sunday.
According to local sources in Badakhshan, the bodies of four men were discovered on Saturday evening, July 19, in the village of Zolzema, located in the Rag district. The victims, whose identities have not been confirmed, were reportedly shot at close range and killed in what witnesses described as a “gruesome manner.”
The motive behind the killings remains unclear.
In a separate incident in neighboring Takhar Province, a young man identified as Ahmad Rashid was stabbed to death by unknown assailants near the Ibrahim Khalil Mosque in Rustaq district, a local source told Amu. His family has called for a thorough investigation and the arrest of those responsible.
As of Sunday, Taliban officials had not issued any statement regarding the killings.
Mysterious killings by so-called “unidentified armed men” have become increasingly frequent in several provinces since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Victims often include former government officials, security personnel, and civilians with no clear political affiliations.
Just one day earlier, sources in Faryab Province reported the killing of Mohibullah Mirzad, a former provincial council member and militia commander from Kohistan district. He was shot last Monday along Ludin Road in Maimana, the provincial capital, by assailants on a motorcycle. He later died in a hospital.
Mirzad had reportedly returned to Afghanistan after being forcibly deported from Iran, where he had taken refuge following the collapse of the previous government.
