RASC News Agency: Local sources in Helmand province have confirmed the discovery of a young man’s body in the Arghandab River, one week after he mysteriously went missing in the provincial capital, Lashkargah. Residents say the deceased, identified as Samiullah, disappeared under unexplained circumstances eight days ago. His body was recovered from the river earlier this week, bearing signs of violence that have raised suspicions of foul play. According to neighbors and community members in Lashkargah, the body showed visible signs of physical assault, suggesting that Samiullah may have been beaten to death before being dumped into the river. While no official autopsy or investigation has been announced, one local source stated: “This was not an accident. He was clearly murdered, and his body was discarded in the river to erase the evidence.”
The victim’s family, still reeling from the shock, told reporters that they had no known personal or tribal enemies, and that Samiullah was “a peaceful young man with no involvement in disputes or violence.” The motive behind the killing remains unknown, and the perpetrators have not been identified. As of yet, Taliban authorities in Helmand have issued no public statement regarding the incident. Nor has any investigation been formally announced, despite growing concern among residents about the rise in unexplained killings across the province. This case adds to a disturbing trend of mysterious killings and disappearances that have intensified across Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. In many instances, victims are former members of the Afghanistan’s National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), civil society activists, or individuals with no known political ties targeted and eliminated in what critics describe as a campaign of silent retribution and fear-mongering.
Due to widespread censorship, the collapse of local media, and Taliban-imposed restrictions on independent journalism, many such cases in rural provinces go unreported or are quickly buried without scrutiny. In regions where no free press or investigative mechanism exists, families are often left with no avenue to pursue justice. Rights observers say the lack of accountability has created a culture of impunity, where perpetrators often operating under the cloak of Taliban authority or as part of informal armed networks face little to no consequence for extrajudicial violence. In numerous cases, authorities blame so-called “unknown gunmen,” while declining to investigate further. Victims’ families are left with unanswered questions, while Taliban officials frequently downplay such killings or label them as “tribal disputes.”
There is growing speculation that many of these mysterious deaths especially involving former security personnel are acts of retaliation carried out by Taliban-affiliated operatives, despite repeated promises of general amnesty. However, in the absence of transparent investigations or international monitoring, such claims remain difficult to verify. Samiullah’s death is yet another tragic entry in the long and growing list of uninvestigated civilian killings in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. His grieving family, along with community elders in Lashkargah, are calling for an independent and impartial investigation one that is unlikely to come under the current climate of fear, censorship, and Taliban impunity.
