Seven killed In A Week As Armed Violence Rises In Herat
At least seven people have been killed in separate incidents in western city of Herat over the past week, according to information obtained by Afghanistan International.
At least seven people have been killed in separate incidents in western city of Herat over the past week, according to information obtained by Afghanistan International.
The victims include a mobile money changer, two young men on the Herat–Karukh road, a teenage street vendor, a man in District 11 and a middle-aged man in a targeted shooting in the city centre. The most recent killing occurred Sunday near Majidi Road, sources said.
Taliban authorities rarely comment on such incidents and do not routinely provide details to the media. In one of the cases, however, local Taliban police issued a statement.
In the first incident, the body of a young man identified as Naqibullah was found in Herat. Sources said he had been abducted near the Khorasan currency exchange market and that his body was later discovered in the Jebrael area of the city. He was carrying cash when he left the exchange shop, and his relatives had searched for him for about a week. Naqibullah, originally from Ghor province, worked as a mobile money changer. His body was found Wednesday, January 21.
In a separate case, a young man named Qadir, a resident of the Shaalbafan area of Herat, was killed after going on a recreational trip with friends to Karukh district. He went missing while returning, and his body was discovered three days later, on Monday, January 19. Sources said two people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement.
Another victim, Faiz Ahmad Afzali from Injil district, was shot dead while returning from the Pashdan Dam on the Herat–Karukh road. Sources described the incident as an armed robbery. Afzali, the second child in his family, is survived by a three-year-old son and a six-month-old daughter. His brother had previously died in a traffic accident. Some of his friends were reportedly detained by the Taliban, though there has been no official comment.
In a fourth incident, a young man who had been taken by unidentified armed motorcyclists to the village of Imam Shash Noor in Injil district was killed while attempting to escape, local sources said. The attack occurred Friday night. The gunmen reportedly fired at him as he tried to flee and then left the scene. The village is about 10 kilometres from Herat city centre, and the shooting took place near a Taliban security post, sources said.
In another case, the body of a teenage street vendor was found hanging Saturday along a road known locally as Lelami Road, in a busy central area near Herat’s Grand Mosque. An informed source said Taliban authorities had not determined whether the death was a suicide or involved other people. The teenager’s identity has not been released.
In District 11, a man was killed Saturday in an incident the Taliban described as involving an armed robber. Herat police said the man encountered residents while committing a theft and, after resisting, faced what the statement called a “serious and timely reaction from the public.” His body was transferred to a provincial hospital.
The seventh incident involved a middle-aged man identified as Ismail, who was shot dead in what sources described as a targeted attack in central Herat on Sunday evening. The shooting took place on Ferqa Road, near the start of Majidi Road. Sources said he had links to Taliban intelligence institutions. Video obtained by Afghanistan International showed Taliban officers at the scene. The motive remains unclear.
Herat has seen a series of deadly incidents in recent weeks. Armed robberies and killings aimed at seizing valuables such as mobile phones, cars and motorcycles have been cited as key factors. Residents and observers also point to poverty and worsening economic conditions as contributing to the rise in violence.
