Sources: Suspects in Killing of Haji Akbar Niazi Released Without Prosecution.
Informed sources in Samangan province say that five Taliban intelligence and police personnel arrested in connection with the killing of Haji Akbar Niazi, a prominent local figure, have been released without undergoing any judicial process. According to these sources, the Taliban effectively shelved the case and conducted no formal investigation.
The detained individuals were reportedly identified with weapons and motorcycles believed to have been used in the killing. Despite this, they were held only briefly and released without their case being presented to a Taliban court or the circumstances of the crime being clarified. Local sources describe this as a clear example of the Taliban’s lack of accountability and the structural impunity enjoyed by their forces, even in serious criminal cases.
Meanwhile, the circulation of a video from Baghlan province has heightened concerns. According to sources, the footage indicates a systematic campaign by the Taliban to eliminate local influential figures, former military personnel, and other prominent individuals. Sources add that specific individuals have been deployed from southern provinces to northern Afghanistan to carry out these operations—raising serious concerns over targeted killings, the absence of justice, and the expansion of organized repression under Taliban rule in northern Afghanistan.
