RASC News Agency: In a chilling episode of domestic violence, a man in Baghlan province has allegedly murdered his wife, brother, and nephew, local sources confirmed. The incident took place in Khinjan District, underscoring once again the growing pattern of unaddressed familial violence across Afghanistan. According to sources familiar with the case, the assailant has been identified as Abdullah Safai, a resident of Tal-e-Chahar Bagh village in Khinjan. Speaking to media on Sunday, April 20, the sources said the murders occurred the previous evening, Saturday, April 19.
Safai reportedly killed his young wife using a hand axe, before fatally shooting his 55-year-old brother, Juma Khan, and 19-year-old nephew, Rahim, upon their return to the family residence. Sources further claim that Abdullah Safai is a known member of the Taliban in Baghlan and has a documented history of extreme violence within his household. In a particularly disturbing detail, Safai is said to have murdered his first wife who was pregnant at the time in 2017, stabbing her to death before joining the ranks of the Taliban.
The motive behind the triple homicide is believed to be a family dispute over land ownership, a common flashpoint in rural Afghan communities. Despite the gravity of the incident, Taliban officials in Baghlan have yet to issue a formal response or initiate a public investigation. This case once again draws attention to the deeply rooted crisis of domestic and gender-based violence in Afghanistan, where a lack of judicial infrastructure, patriarchal social norms, and the near-total collapse of legal protections for women and children continue to enable such tragedies.
Afghanistan has seen a troubling rise in domestic violence, especially under Taliban rule, where systemic impunity and cultural silence have emboldened perpetrators. Experts note that contributing factors include land disputes, economic hardship, entrenched male dominance, and a severe absence of institutional support for at-risk individuals. Civil society activists and human rights advocates warn that unless urgent and structural reforms are introduced, such as the reestablishment of independent legal institutions and the reinstatement of protective frameworks for women and vulnerable populations, Afghanistan will continue to witness such brutal acts within the very fabric of its communities.
