A local source in Sar-e Pul province says that a Taliban member in Sozma Qala district shot and killed his 18-year-old wife. The woman had married the Taliban member approximately two months earlier. The Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Sar-e Pul police command has confirmed the woman’s death but described the cause as suicide resulting from domestic violence.
Local sources say the young woman was originally from Gosfandi district and was brought to Sozma Qala by a Taliban member approximately two months ago. According to these sources, the Taliban member had forcibly married her.
One source identified the Taliban member as Hassan and said that he has another wife. According to the source, Hassan shot his 18-year-old wife on Friday, 30 Asad, following a verbal dispute.
Another source said that Hassan, who uses the alias “Sangari,” serves as a guard for the Taliban district governor in Sozma Qala. The source confirmed the woman’s death but said there was no conclusive information about who was responsible.
According to this source, Hassan claimed that his wife had committed suicide. However, doctors who examined the body reportedly said that the bullet had entered from the back. Based on this account, the claim of suicide is inconsistent with the medical findings.
The source also provided details about how Hassan married the young woman, saying that she may have been abducted. According to the source, the young woman was brought by the Taliban member to his home in one of the villages one night. After the incident became known among local residents, several Taliban members transferred both of them to the district center the following morning.
The source added that, after they were taken to the district center, the Taliban member and the young woman were married there.
Naqibullah Alimyar, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Sar-e Pul police command, told Hasht-e Subh Daily in a message that the woman’s death was the result of suicide following domestic violence.
Alimyar provided no further details about the incident and did not respond to questions about whether anyone had been prosecuted or placed under investigation in connection with the woman’s death.
Given the conflicting accounts regarding the cause of the woman’s death, the details of the incident and the circumstances surrounding it have not been independently established.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
