RASC News Agency: Local sources in Sar-e Pol province report that Gol Ahmad Moradi, a former local commander, was assassinated in his home in the Balkhab district by unidentified gunmen during the night. According to these sources, the Taliban have confirmed Moradi’s killing and announced the arrest of four suspects in connection with the incident.
Information from the sources suggests that Gol Ahmad Moradi was killed at approximately midnight on Thursday, October 31, in his home in the village of Esmidan, Balkhab district. During the Republic era, Moradi commanded around 100 local forces. However, after the fall of the government, he surrendered his unit’s equipment to the Taliban and assumed a role as a community elder. Sources indicate that Moradi had maintained amicable relations with the Taliban over the past three years.
The motive behind his assassination remains unclear, and Taliban officials have not yet issued any official statements regarding the case. This killing follows a recent similar incident involving a commander of the National Islamic Movement Party of Afghanistan. After being deported from Iran, he was assassinated near his home in Sar-e Pol’s Sayad district by unknown assailants. Such mysterious killings of former military figures have also been reported in other provinces.
UNAMA has documented that between July 1 and September 30, there were at least 24 cases of arbitrary detention and 10 incidents of torture or mistreatment of former government military personnel. In this same period, UNAMA recorded five assassinations of former military members. According to reports, the Taliban are largely suspected of carrying out retaliatory killings against former military personnel. However, the Taliban reject these accusations, asserting that they are committed to upholding their leader’s amnesty directive.
