Haji Woror Achakzai, a former commander of the police of Kandahar’s Second City, was killed in a shooting in Quetta the capital city of Balochistan on Sunday.
According to reports, armed men opened fire on Achakzai while he was sitting at a shop in the Hazarganji area of Quetta. He was killed in the attack, while the motive and identity of the attackers remain unknown.
Sources said Achakzai had served as Commander of the Police forces of the former Afghan government and left Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. He subsequently moved to Balochistan and settled in Quetta.
Sources described Achakzai as a close associate of General Abdul Raziq Achakzai, the former police commander of Kandahar and one of the most influential security figures in southern Afghanistan. Abdul Raziq was assassinated in October 2018 in an attack at the Kandahar governor’s compound shortly before a scheduled meeting with senior US officials.
The killing comes days after a reported clash among former Afghan security personnel in the Mian Ghundi area of Quetta on 14 August. According to local reports, one person, identified as Mansoor Popalzai, was killed and seven others were injured. The injured were reportedly taken to Civil Hospital Quetta.
The individuals involved were reportedly former Afghan security personnel who had fled Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. Sources said some had previously been relocated from Saranan after reportedly coming under drone attacks.
There have been allegations by Baloch “pro-independence” groups that some former Afghan security personnel residing in Balochistan have been recruited or used by Pakistani military forces in operations against Baloch armed groups, including through alleged “death squads”. However, Pakistani authorities have not publicly commented over such claims.
The circumstances surrounding Achakzai’s killing, including whether it was connected to the reported clashes among former Afghan security personnel, remain unclear.
Pakistani authorities have not yet issued a detailed public statement regarding the killing or identified those responsible.