The shooting of an Iranian Baloch dissident in Afghanistan’s Herat city has taken place at a time when regional powers, during recent Moscow discussions, categorically vowed not to allow foreign bases or agents on Afghan soil. They issued stern warnings to both the Taliban and India while urging Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to help resolve the Afghan crisis, cautioning that regional states might be compelled to intervene directly if the issue remains unresolved.
According to the human rights organisation Halvash, the victim, identified as Rostam Ajbari, a well-known critic of the Iranian regime, was seriously wounded in a gun attack on Wednesday, the 16th of Mezan, by unidentified assailants in Herat’s central district.
Reports said Ajbari was struck twice in the head and rushed to a local hospital, where doctors described his condition as critical.
Ajbari, the son of Haji Ahmad, hailed from Iran’s Khorasan province and belonged to the ethnic Baloch community. He had been living in Herat for the past several years after leaving Iran due to political persecution.
Known for his outspoken criticism of Tehran’s policies, Ajbari had emerged as a prominent voice among Iranian Baloch opposition figures.
Following the attack, some social media channels linked to Iranian security institutions claimed that Ajbari was a senior member of the militant group Jaish al-Adl. However, his family and close associates strongly rejected this accusation, calling it an attempt to justify the assassination and discredit his activism.
The incident has heightened concerns about the growing reach of regional intelligence and proxy operations inside Afghanistan, particularly as tensions between Tehran, Kabul and other regional capitals continue to escalate.