Two former Afghan security personnel killed in Quetta shooting
Two former members of Afghanistan’s security forces were killed in an attack by unidentified armed men in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
The incident took place near Sheikh Zayed Hospital. Pakistani police have confirmed the attack, but have so far released no information on the identity of the attackers, the motive for the shooting or other details.
According to local sources, the victims were associates of Basir Achakzai, a former Afghan military commander, who moved to Balochistan after the fall of Kabul. The two were identified as Ahmad and Adib, but no further details are available about their military background or roles in the previous government.
Basir Achakzai previously served as police commander for the districts of Dand and Zhari in Kandahar province, as well as Greshk in Helmand province.
The attack comes amid recent reports of Afghan refugees and former Afghan officials being killed in Quetta. Earlier, the former commander of Kandahar city’s second security district was killed in a shooting by unidentified armed men in the city, and in another incident in the Hazara Ganji area of Quetta, three Afghan nationals were killed.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and Pakistani authorities have said nothing about a possible link between the incidents. Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, is one of Pakistan’s major cities and is home to a number of Afghan migrants and refugees.
