RASC News Agency: Local sources in Takhar report that Mawlawi Zakaria Mushtani, a renowned religious scholar and community elder, was killed in an armed assault. Sources say Mawlawi Mushtani was attacked on Friday morning November 1, as he returned from the mosque after morning prayers in the “Nowabad Mushtaniha” area of Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province.
He reportedly succumbed to gunshot wounds inflicted by unknown assailants. The motive for the killing and the identities of those responsible remain unclear, and the Taliban authorities in Takhar have not yet issued any statements regarding this murder. A local resident described Mawlawi Mushtani as a prominent scholar in the region, known for his principled opposition to extreme or hardline decrees, whether from the Taliban or any other authority.
Mawlawi Mushtani served as an instructor at the Central Darul Uloom in Taloqan. Some sources describe him as an outspoken critic of Taliban policies. This killing adds to a series of assassinations targeting notable figures and religious scholars across Afghanistan, including in provinces like Takhar and Kabul. Since the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan, the frequency of mysterious and clandestine killings has escalated, with numerous reports of extrajudicial executions allegedly carried out by Taliban members.
Human rights organizations have documented the Taliban’s detention, torture, and, in several cases, execution of opponents. Reports reveal a marked increase in arbitrary killings following the Taliban’s takeover, with evidence implicating certain Taliban members in these murders, motivated by prejudice, ethnic animosity, and extremism.
