Ismaili Woman Killed in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, Local Taliban Officials Confirm

Ismaili Woman Killed in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, Local Taliban Officials Confirm
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According to International Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA), an Ismaili woman named “Lailma” was shot and killed by unidentified armed men in the Ashkasham district of Badakhshan province on Thursday morning, April 30.

Local Taliban authorities in Badakhshan confirmed the incident, stating that Lailma was killed at approximately 7:00 a.m. while on her way to work. Zabihullah Amiri, head of the province’s Department of Information and Culture, told local media that the motives for the killing are still unknown, and the armed attackers fled the scene immediately after the attack.

Amiri added that security agencies have launched an investigation to identify and apprehend those responsible.

Lailma was the wife of Salam Moftun, a local singer, and belonged to the Ismaili minority community in Afghanistan. Ismailis in Badakhshan have reportedly faced unprecedented religious and social pressures under Taliban rule.

Previous reports have indicated that Taliban forces have pressured some Ismailis to adopt the Hanafi school of thought, and that members of the group in the province have labeled Ismaili Shias as apostates, further heightening tensions and insecurity for the community.