Taliban fighters have reportedly executed two civilian men in Panjshir province after detaining and interrogating them for days, local sources say, yet another chilling case of extrajudicial killing in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
The victims, Hakimullah and Ahmad Ali, were allegedly arrested nearly ten days ago in the Abdullah Khel Valley and transferred to a detention facility at Dashtak, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to Afghan local media.
According to Ghulam Farooq Alam, a civil activist originally from Panjshir but now living abroad, the two men were repeatedly taken from the prison into nearby mountain areas for questioning. Taliban fighters reportedly accused them of hiding weapons in the Malam-Khak mountains, but no weapons were found and no formal charges were ever filed.
“They were dragged into the hills several times, threatened and interrogated,” said Alam. “There was never any proof against them.”
Alam, along with another local source who requested anonymity due to safety concerns, confirmed that both men were executed by firing squad on Saturday, July 5, without due process or judicial oversight. Their bodies have yet to be returned to their families.
The second source emphasized that neither Hakimullah nor Ahmad Ali had any affiliation with the anti-Taliban National Resistance Front (NRF), countering Taliban claims that any armed opposition is linked to resistance groups.
The Malam-Khak region holds strategic importance in Panjshir’s rugged landscape. In 2022, it became a battleground when Haji Malik Khan, a former Taliban commander turned NRF member, was killed there alongside dozens of fighters, a loss the Taliban has since tried to avenge through harsh crackdowns.
Taliban authorities in Panjshir have remained silent on the latest executions. However, this incident adds to a growing pattern of extrajudicial killings, disappearances, and arbitrary detentions in the region. Human rights organisations have repeatedly accused the Taliban of war crimes and abuses in Panjshir, charges the group continues to deny despite mounting evidence.
The latest killings raise renewed concerns about the complete absence of rule of law and the Taliban’s continued reliance on fear and force to maintain control over restive provinces like Panjshir.
