On Wednesday, General Ikramuddin Sari’ was shot dead near his home in Tehran by masked assailants. Earlier, in September, Ma’ruf Ghulami, a political and military figure close to prominent anti-Taliban figure, Ismail Khan, was killed by gunfire in Mashhad city.
Individuals close to both men say the Taliban were responsible for the killings. They argue that the commanders were assassinated on Iranian soil amid what they describe as a heavy and deliberate silence by the Islamic Republic toward the Taliban.
The killing of a senior general from Afghanistan’s former government in Tehran has sounded alarm bells for former Afghan soldiers and officers residing in Iran. Over the past four years, the Taliban have detained and killed members of the former Afghan security forces. Observers now say that individuals who are, either in practice or potentially, perceived as threats to the Taliban are being deliberately targeted.
The Islamic Republic, which has given refuge to hundreds of officers and soldiers from Afghanistan’s former army, has failed to protect them from assassination threats. While Sari’ was killed in the heart of Tehran, Ghulami was murdered in Mashhad, one of Iran’s most important and religious cities.
Earlier, Iranian police announced that three suspects had been arrested in connection with Ghulami’s killing. However, two were later released. Police said they had sufficient evidence linking one individual to the assassination but provided no further details regarding the suspect’s identity or affiliation.
A source familiar with the investigation told Afghanistan International that the detained individual was a Taliban operative and that the group played a direct role in Ghulami’s assassination. Despite the passage of several months, Iranian police and judicial authorities have not officially released details of the investigation or the handling of the case.
The lack of transparency has raised questions about whether Tehran’s silence reflects political considerations stemming from its close relationship with the Taliban, or whether Iranian authorities lack sufficient evidence to formally accuse and prosecute the primary suspect in Ghulami’s killing.
Who Was General Ikramuddin Sari’?
General Ikramuddin Sari’ was a professional Afghan military officer. Born in Kapisa province, north of Kabul, he served as police commander in Nuristan, Baghlan and Takhar provinces and later worked as an adviser at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior.
He was widely known for his outspoken and uncompromising views on security matters.
Following the collapse of Afghanistan’s former government, Sari’ relocated to Iran. He became an informal representative of former Afghan military personnel living there and was regarded as an influential figure, maintaining close contact with hundreds of former officers and soldiers.
After Iranian authorities began large-scale deportations of Afghan migrants, Sari’, together with several colleagues, worked to prevent their forced return to Afghanistan.
While in Iran, Sari’ was openly critical of the Taliban and took a firm public stance against the group and its policies.
Who Was Behind the Assassination?
General Sari’ maintained contact with most former Afghan soldiers and officers living in Iran. He advocated for their rights and acted as an intermediary between them and Iranian authorities.
Iranian officials have not identified those responsible for his killing. Former soldiers who knew Sari’ say that, apart from the Taliban, no group or country would benefit from the high-profile assassination of a former police commander and refugee inside Iran.
A former Afghan military official and anti-Taliban activist accused both the Taliban and Iran of responsibility. Others argue that the Taliban are the principal perpetrators, but add that such assassinations could not take place without the knowledge or tolerance of certain circles within Iran.
Groups including the National Resistance Front say Iran bears responsibility for ensuring the safety of Afghan military refugees and must conduct transparent investigations and provide clear public information regarding the assassinations.
Sari’ was killed amid earlier reports that Iranian police had detained and interrogated him.
‘Assassinations Abroad’
The targeted killings of senior former military figures in Tehran and Mashhad suggest that former Afghan soldiers are no longer safe even outside Afghanistan. Those who fled the country to escape Taliban reprisals now find themselves hunted in regional capitals.
A former Afghan soldier said the attacks indicate the Taliban have begun carrying out “assassinations abroad.”
Taliban officials have previously threatened to target opponents beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
Mohammad Nabi Omari, a deputy minister at the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, has said that if necessary, the group could kill opponents abroad for as little as 500 Pakistani rupees.
Two years ago, Saeed Khosti, the former spokesman for Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban interior minister, openly threatened Taliban opponents living outside Afghanistan, warning that the group had hundreds of volunteers ready to carry out assassinations overseas.
The recent killings have heightened fears among all Taliban opponents living abroad.
A source told Afghanistan International that the Taliban had even planned to assassinate leaders of the National Resistance Front in Tajikistan, but the plot was foiled by Tajik security forces.
Silence From Tehran
The Islamic Republic has not publicly responded to the targeting of Taliban opponents on its territory. Iranian officials have remained silent regarding the assassinations.
Iran hosts former Afghan military personnel and is responsible for their security. However, critics say that due to Tehran’s close ties with the Taliban, the Islamic Republic has effectively sacrificed former Afghan soldiers and migrants to preserve its relationship with Afghanistan’s ruling authorities.
Facing a difficult regional environment, Iran is seeking to secure the Taliban’s goodwill. Analysts say the Taliban are the only group in the region currently serving Iran’s strategic interests. As a result, Taliban opponents, despite historical, cultural and linguistic ties, appear to hold little importance for Tehran, which is unwilling to risk its relations with the Taliban over their deaths.
Iran has handed over Afghanistan’s embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad to Taliban representatives, a move critics say has given the group greater freedom to carry out cross-border assassinations.
Although the Islamic Republic bears responsibility for protecting former Afghan military personnel, it has demonstrated significant weaknesses in preventing planned killings on its soil.
Critics note that Israel has been able to kill dozens of Iranian military officers and senior officials in a single night, underscoring Iran’s broader security vulnerabilities.
Hossein Jafarian, a figure close to the National Resistance Front and a former Iranian cultural attaché in Afghanistan, referred to these weaknesses in response to Sari’s killing.
Criticising Iran’s relationship with the Taliban administration, he said:
“Supporters of the Taliban should pull their hats down over their faces. It is not only Netanyahu who assassinates Haniya [the former political leader of Hamas] in Tehran. Now Mullah Haibatullah does the same, first in Mashhad and now in Tehran. Shame on you.”
Another political figure opposed to the Taliban, citing the depth of ties between the Taliban and the Islamic Republic, said he saw a “conspiracy” behind such incidents. He told Afghanistan International that, in his view, the host country bears primary responsibility for these events.
