Ikramuddin Saree, a former police commander in Afghanistan’s Takhar and Baghlan provinces under the pre-Taliban republic, was shot dead on the evening of December 24 outside his office in Tehran.
Sources close to him and the anti-Taliban National Resistance Front of Afghanistan confirmed the killing, saying Saree and a companion died while another was wounded.
Ali Maisam Nazary, a spokesman for the opposition group, accused the Taliban of orchestrating the assassination. The Taliban has not commented. Former republic officials and anti-Taliban groups have condemned the attack, urging Iran to investigate the incident and identify the perpetrators.
Tehran has not commented on the killing.
Saree is the second anti-Taliban figure killed in Iran in recent months.
In September, Maruf Gholami, a commander close to Ismail Khan and living in Mashhad, was gunned down by armed men. Khan, a former warlord and governor of Herat Province who fled to Iran after the Taliban takeover, demanded justice from Tehran.
Saree served as Baghlan police chief from 2017 to 2019 and then Takhar chief under then-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. He fled to Iran after the 2021 Taliban takeover, advocating that former Afghan military personnel seeking residency should avoid deportation.
Thousands of ex-Afghan soldiers and police have sought refuge in Iran since 2021, amid fears of Taliban reprisals despite the group’s amnesty claims. The Taliban denies any cross-border operations.
Iran has not formally recognized the Taliban government since it returned to power. However, Tehran maintains diplomatic, security, and economic relations.
Erasmo Michaud
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