Two women have been murdered in northern Faryab and Balkh provinces last week only a week after another young woman was mysteriously shot dead in Faryab.
The body of a 28-year-old woman was found shot dead on Thursday in Faryab’s Khaja Osman village in the Almar district, according to two local sources.
The Taliban’s Faryab police confirmed the incident and said that unknown people have killed the woman and there are no leads on who carried out the killing nor a motive.
A source in Faryab, who spoke to Rukhshana Media on condition of anonymity, said that the victim was a 28-year-old woman who was originally a resident of Arzlik village of Faryab’s Qaisar district.
A video shared by some local residents on social media claims to show the woman being interrogated by Taliban forces while she was travelling by motorcycle with a man.
So far, no reliable source has been able to confirm whether the woman in the video footage is the same woman who was found shot dead.
Meanwhile, a young woman has reportedly been shot dead in front of her family in the Chamtal district of Balkh province.
Some sources have claimed that Taliban forces shot the woman, but this has not been able to be verified nor is there an alternative suspect.
The incident happened on Monday evening at 9pm in Chamtal’s Sar Asyab area, three local sources told Rukhshana Media.
One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the woman who was killed, Gulalai, has been living in Chamtal for some time. She was from the Turkmen tribe and was originally a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif city, the capital of Balkh province.
Another source, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said Gulalai was married and she was shot in front of her family members after being severely beaten.
This source added that the murderers stole 15,000 afghanis (USD 215) and Gulalai’s jewellery.
The deaths come only a week after a young woman from Khaja Osman village in Faryab’s Almar district was found killed by gunshot. Taliban officials have been unable to find any suspects in relation to that woman’s murder.