RASC News Agency: A brazen armed robbery has once again shattered the illusion of “security” touted by the Taliban regime. Local sources in Sar-e-Pul Province confirmed that on Wednesday, three armed assailants stormed a jewelry store in the city’s central bazaar, critically injuring the young owner and looting gold worth tens of thousands of dollars. The attack, captured by surveillance cameras, has become another grim symbol of Afghanistan’s descent into lawlessness under the Taliban’s rule.
Eyewitnesses said the assault occurred in the gold market of Sar-e-Pul city, when three gunmen entered the shop, opened fire on the owner, and swiftly emptied the showcases before fleeing. The victim, identified as Haroon, a 22-year-old jeweler known for his small but popular shop, was struck in the abdomen and remains in a coma at a local hospital. His family described his condition as “critical” and accused the Taliban of gross negligence and failure to maintain even the most basic public security.
Security camera footage reviewed by RASC News shows one of the attackers wielding a Kalashnikov rifle, threatening both the shopkeeper and bystanders while the others grabbed jewelry from the display cases. The stolen gold is estimated to be worth between USD 20,000 and 30,000, although the exact figure has not been officially confirmed. The robbers escaped moments after the assault, and to date, no arrests have been made.
As usual, Taliban officials in Sar-e-Pul have remained silent, offering no statement, no acknowledgment, and no visible investigation. Residents say this silence has become routine under Taliban governance, where criminal cases are ignored, and justice is arbitrarily applied only when politically convenient. The regime’s security apparatus preoccupied with suppressing dissent, hunting journalists, and policing women appears utterly incapable of protecting citizens from real threats.
“The Taliban have turned the country into a haven for armed criminals,” said Abdul Rahim (a pseudonym), a shopkeeper in the same bazaar. “They boast about bringing peace, but every week there’s another shooting or robbery. We’re not safe in our homes, on the roads, or in our workplaces. They only know how to arrest people who speak out, not those who carry guns.”
Local analysts describe the attack as part of a wider pattern of security collapse that has intensified across Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power. Despite their propaganda about “peace and stability,” the country has witnessed a steady rise in armed robberies, targeted killings, kidnappings, and smuggling networks, many of which operate with impunity often under the very noses of Taliban security forces.
Observers believe that the Taliban’s obsession with enforcing ideological conformity through religious policing, censorship, and public punishments—has drained the regime’s capacity to govern or protect. With experienced law enforcement officers dismissed and replaced by untrained militants, the regime’s “security forces” have become symbols of intimidation rather than protection.
“This is not a state it’s a militia masquerading as a government,” said a Kabul-based security expert. “They control the people, not the criminals. The Taliban’s version of order is built on fear, not law, and the result is a society where armed violence thrives, and accountability has disappeared.”
Economic experts further warn that the surge in armed robberies reflects the Taliban’s collapsing economy, where rampant unemployment and widespread hunger have driven many to desperate acts. Small business owners, especially jewelers and traders, now close early or relocate to safer provinces, draining local economies already on the brink of collapse.
Residents of Sar-e-Pul say they no longer report crimes, convinced that Taliban authorities either ignore complaints or demand bribes to act. “We are ruled by men who only care about controlling women’s clothes and silencing journalists,” said a resident of the city’s gold market. “When it comes to our safety, we are completely abandoned.”
The Sar-e-Pul attack is more than a criminal act—it is a reflection of a nation where the rule of law has been extinguished, and the promise of order under the Taliban has dissolved into chaos. For the people of Afghanistan, “peace” under this regime has come to mean little more than the silence of fear and the darkness of impunity.
