Afghan anti-Taliban groups have called for an investigation into the killing of two former Afghan military officers in Tehran, urging the Iranian authorities to protect the lives of Afghan refugees, particularly former security personnel.
Naseer Ahmad Faiq, head of Afghanistan’s mission to the United Nations, said the assassination of two senior former officers – General Ekramuddin Saree and Mohammad Amin Almas – in the heart of Tehran was “an organized crime and a serious alarm.”
He said the targeting of former Afghan military personnel continues even in exile, adding that those responsible appear to be acting with complete impunity.
“Silence in the face of this crime is complicity,” Faiq said. “We strongly condemn this act and call for an immediate, transparent investigation and for the perpetrators and those who ordered the crime to be held accountable.”
The Afghanistan Freedom Front blamed the Taliban for the killings, saying the group views former Afghan security personnel as a potential threat to its “illegitimate and unlawful rule”. In a statement, the front said that over the past four years the Taliban have pursued, threatened and assassinated former military personnel without recognizing any “geographical, religious, moral or legal boundaries.”
The group called on Iran to take “urgent and effective measures” to protect Afghan refugees, especially former soldiers, in line with international standards, Islamic values and humanitarian commitments. It also urged Iranian authorities to identify and punish those responsible for the attack in accordance with the law.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front further called on Iran to halt the deportation of former Afghan military personnel, warning that, according to documented reports, those returned to Afghanistan have been subjected by the Taliban to arrest, torture, enforced disappearance and killing.
The group also appealed to the United Nations to fulfil its legal and moral responsibilities by facilitating the immediate and safe relocation of former Afghan military personnel from Iran to third, safe countries.
In a separate statement, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan said this was not the first time prominent Afghan military and security figures had been targeted in Iran. The group said the incident had sparked deep anger and concern among Afghans, particularly refugees.
It called for a serious, transparent and independent investigation by the Iranian authorities, and for the perpetrators, planners and sponsors of the attack to be identified and brought to justice.
The Jamiat-e Islami party also described the killing of Ekramuddin Saree and Mohammad Amin Almas as “deeply concerning”, urging Iran’s relevant institutions to identify those behind such attacks and hand them over to justice.
General Ekramuddin Saree, the former police chief of Takhar province, and another former Afghan military officer were shot dead on Tuesday (December 23) evening in Tehran’s Valiasr Square. The motive for the attack remains unclear, and Iranian officials have so far made no public comment.
The killings come months after another former Afghan commander close to Ismail Khan, a prominent former mujahideen leader, was killed in Mashhad, eastern Iran.
Following the Taliban’s return to power, a number of former Afghan military and government officials sought refuge in Iran. While Iranian authorities have extended residency permits for some, others who have been deported back to Afghanistan have reportedly been arrested by the Taliban and, in some cases, killed.