Abida, Young Woman Burns Herself to Death to Escape Forced Marriage to Taliban
A young woman has died after setting herself on fire in Taywara district of Ghor province in an alleged attempt to escape a forced marriage, local sources told Rukhshana Media.
The self-immolation occurred Sunday on the same day that the woman was allegedly to be taken to the brother of local Taliban commander in Ghor, sources said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources said the commander Haji Mohammad Rahmani planned to take a young woman named Abida from Taywara’s village of Darzab Nili to his brother, Mohammad Azim.
The commander arrived in the village on Sunday and, with his forces, allegedly detained Abida’s father and brother, taking them from the home to the local mosque. Abida’s father rejected Haji Rahmani’s claim that Abida was promised to his brother when she was two years old, saying he made no such promise and that his daughter was not willing to marry Mohamad Azim.
Abida allegedly set herself on fire inside the house while some of the commander’s forces were outside the house, sources said.
In a video obtained by Rukhshana Media, a completely-burned body can be seen, but is unrecognizable.
According to the sources, local Taliban courts in Ghor and Kandahar had previously ruled that the commander’s claim to Abida was baseless, but Haji Rahmani continued to threaten Abida’s father, saying he would take her to his brother by force if consent was not granted.
No official investigation has been launched, according to sources, with Taliban authorities in Ghor not discussing the incident nor holding the commander and his brother for questioning.
Rukhshana Media has made repeated efforts to contact the young woman’s family but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Originally published on April 30, 2025