Former Swedish Military Employee Murdered by Taliban in Afghanistan

A man who previously worked for the Swedish military in Afghanistan has been murdered by the Taliban, according to reports from TV4 News.

"It has been 18 years since he worked for Sweden. But the murder worries us," former Swedish colleagues told TV4 News.

The murdered man was shot dead on June 5 when a car was stopped outside the city of Sheberghan in northern Afghanistan. He was forced out of the vehicle and executed with multiple shots, according to TV4 News.

The man was employed by the Swedish Armed Forces between 2004 and 2007. He served as a security chief for the Swedish ISAF force and later as a police chief and prison chief under the former Afghan government, reports Sveriges Radio.

The motive for the murder is believed to be his work for foreigners, namely Sweden, according to TV4 News.

"I am afraid this is the first in a series of such incidents," says Swedish Afghanistan veteran Björn Blanck to Sveriges Radio.

50 Local Employees Remain

A total of 200 local employees worked for Sweden in Afghanistan until 2021 when the Taliban took power. Fifty of them remain in the country and risk becoming potential targets for the Taliban.

The murder is seen by international observers as a sign that the Taliban are disregarding the amnesty that was supposed to protect those who worked for foreigners, writes TV4 News.