Taliban security forces killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 40 others during crackdowns on protests against poppy eradication in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province in May and June, the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said in its latest quarterly report.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented four incidents in Argo, Khash and Jurm districts in which protesters were shot, beaten or arbitrarily detained.
The first took place May 5 in Argo district, where around 20 farmers were arrested by Taliban forces after demonstrating against the destruction of their poppy crops. Some were reportedly beaten.
On May 25 in Jurm district, Taliban fighters opened fire on protesters, killing one man and wounding six others, the report says.
On June 19 in Khash district, Taliban security forces again opened fire on protesters and beat several of them.
The deadliest incident came on June 30, also in Khash district, when Taliban forces fired into a crowd, killing at least eight men and wounding 22 others, including one girl. The next day, Taliban fighters opened fire on mourners at the victims’ burial, killing at least one man and injuring 12 others.
In a July 1 interview with BBC Pashto, the Taliban-appointed governor of Badakhshan confirmed casualties had occurred in clashes between protesters and security forces but gave no figures. He acknowledged the province lacked non-lethal crowd control equipment such as tear gas or water cannons, saying, “We have requested these items.”
UNAMA noted that in May 2024, following similar incidents in Khash, Daraiem and Argo districts, Taliban authorities announced the creation of a committee to investigate problems with the poppy eradication process in Badakhshan. No findings from that committee have been made public.
