Kabul faces surge in armed crime and robberies
A resident of Kabul expressed to Khaama Press that they feel like they are living in the world’s scariest and most insecure place. This feeling is likely shared by many others in the city, troubled by the constant threats of armed robbers, kidnappers, terrorist groups, and the daily occurrence of mysterious murders, all contributing to the widespread fear and unrest among the people.
In the latest case, a dermatology specialist named Ghafar Hamdard, a professor of medical sciences at Kabul University was killed in his private clinic in Kabul. Matiallah Kharoti, one of Ghafar Hamdard’s close friends, wrote on his X account: ‘My dear friend, a dermatology specialist and professor of medical sciences at Kabul University, was killed this Tuesday, at 3:30 PM, in the Kart-e-Now area, at his workplace, by two motorcyclists.’
Other relatives of him and also the security officials of the Taliban administration have confirmed that Ghafar Hamdard was killed in Kabul. News of this event was published one day after the killing of a former military person, who was reportedly ‘shot’ in the fourth district of Kabul city.
Domestic media, citing their sources, wrote that Faqir Ahmad Shirzad, a former government military personnel who was driving in Kabul, was shot on Tuesday by ‘armed robbers’ in Kabul.
According to those who live in Kabul, ‘only a fraction of the murders that happen every day are reported in the media.’ Mohammad in conversation with Khaama Press, said: ‘When you get into a vehicle, you face two scenarios. Either the driver is a thief, or it’s possible that the vehicle becomes the target of a suicide attack or hand bombs.’
This resident of Kabul has encountered armed robbers on two occasions and has also witnessed a passenger bus being targeted once. He said, ‘The first time was in winter 2020 when I was surrounded by people who were chasing me in Dasht-e-Barchi. I handed over everything I had with full consent to stay alive.’
The second time was in the first year of the Taliban’s reign, again in Dasht-e-Barchi with robbers: ‘I took a taxi from Pul-e-Khushk. Three other people were inside the taxi. Initially, it deviated from the main route, I didn’t take it seriously but when it completely turned into a dark alley, I protested but it was too late. A gun was held behind my ear and again, with full consent, I handed over everything I had.’
The third time, when I was returning from work, I saw a bus in front of us whose windows were shattered and flaming inside. I didn’t understand what happened. Suddenly, the vehicles stopped, and the road was completely blocked. People inside the bus were trying to escape… I didn’t understand any of these happenings.
Mohammad continued: ‘When I reached home and saw on social networks that a passenger bus had been attacked in Dasht-e-Barchi, I then realized what I had witnessed. With his personal experiences and what he hears daily through social networks, he considers Kabul to be the scariest place to live.’
There is no accurate statistic of people who are murdered daily in Kabul. Some have claimed that dozens are killed every day, and among them, only one or two cases are covered by the media.
Zarifa Ghafari, the former mayor of Maidan Wardak, wrote last week on the social media platform X that 30 people are killed daily in Kabul.
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