Armed rape of women in Taliban guesthouses in Laghman; is any woman safe?
Local sources in Laghman province report that an individual associated with the Taliban was detained on charges of raping a defenseless woman in one of the group’s guesthouses but was released in less than 24 hours.
According to these sources, Gholamuddin Kelmani, a close guard of Qari Zahed Fateh, the former Taliban district governor of Alingar, was detained by local people on Saturday, February 1, 2025, in one of his commander’s guesthouses;
An event that seriously challenges the Taliban’s claims about “security and Sharia.”
According to witnesses, the woman was taken to the guesthouse at gunpoint and subjected to violence. Local elders detained the accused after learning of the incident.
However, sources emphasize that with the direct intervention of Maulavi Anizhr Gul, the deputy Taliban governor of Laghman, this individual was released without going through a judicial process. The Taliban have so far provided no official explanation in this regard.
More concerning is that the fate of the female victim remains completely unknown; there is no information about her whereabouts, physical and psychological condition, or subsequent Taliban action towards her.
Residents of Laghman say the immunity of influential Taliban individuals has rendered justice meaningless, and the disregard for women’s basic rights has led to systematic violence.
Women’s rights activists warn that under such conditions, no woman in any part of Afghanistan feels safe, and Taliban guesthouses have turned into sites of rape and violence.
