RASC News Agency: Kabul has witnessed a disturbing surge in armed robberies, with incidents of nighttime heists and violent street crimes becoming alarmingly frequent. Rahmatullah (a pseudonym), a Kabul resident, recounted a chilling episode to RASC: “Just a few days ago, in Karte Naw, armed motorcycle-riding thieves ambushed a young man at his doorstep, shooting him before stealing 200,000 kabuli rupees.” The victim had just withdrawn the money from Sarai Shahzada, Kabul’s main currency exchange, in preparation for his brother’s wedding. Meanwhile, Akbar (a pseudonym), a resident of Deh Afghanan, reported that crime in his neighborhood has escalated to the point where armed criminals now operate in broad daylight. “These men not only rob people but also brutally assault them before making off with their belongings,” he said.
In the past 24 hours alone, reports of similar armed robberies and civilian murders have emerged from Farah, Parwan, and Balkh. A source from Farah confirmed that gunmen fatally shot a young man on the outskirts of the city and stole his 2016 Toyota Corolla. Likewise, sources in Balkh describe an increasingly brazen network of armed criminals terrorizing the province. A senior official at a government hospital in Kabul disclosed to RASC that the number of patients arriving with knife and stab wounds has surged dramatically. “We are seeing a disturbing influx of bodies and critically injured victims, all attacked with sharp weapons in the streets,” the source revealed. Several reports indicate that Taliban members are either directly involved in these armed robberies or providing protection to the perpetrators. Critics argue that such crimes could not occur so openly without their implicit support.
Civil society activists warn that the Taliban’s failure or unwillingness to rein in these crimes is fueling lawlessness. Reports further suggest that many of the weapons used in these violent heists were once in Taliban possession and are now being sold illegally. Earlier investigations had already pointed to the Taliban trafficking American-made firearms, raising concerns that the proliferation of these weapons is contributing to the rising crime wave.
