Colonel Azizullah Karwan, Commander of Special Police Force Unit in Paktika province, was assassinated in an attack by unknown armed men in Kabul on Thursday evening when he was in a recreational place with his family.

The incident took place at around 8:30pm Kabul time in Makrorayan area in the city. Taliban has claimed responsibility of the attack.

Karwan was a taxi driver in Kabul-Paktika Highway during the Taliban regime in 2001. He left his profession and joined police lines after the fall of Taliban.

Karwan joined the Afghan Local Police and then founded the local police in Paktika.

He served in police lines for more than 15 years. He was commander of Special Police Force Unit in Paktika.

According to local officials, Karwan had a significant role in security of the province.

“The enemy could not stand against Karwan and could not face him on the battlefield. They would flee and leave the battlefield by hearing Karwan’s name,” Paktika governor Mohammad Elyas Wahdat said.

Karwan took part in important missions for many years.

He survived 38 assassination attempts – many of them were suicide attacks.

The Interior Ministry said one bodyguard of Col. Karwan was killed and three others were wounded in the attack.

“Azizullah Karwan was a brave man and was important not only for Paktika security, but for the entire Afghanistan,” Abdul Rauf Massoud, Security Officer at Paktika Police Headquarters, said.

In an interview with TOLOnews last year, Karwan denounced suicide attacks and bombings against Afghan forces and said such attacks are coward attacks.

“If they had the ability, they would fight us on the battlefield. It was better to confront them on the battlefield, but suicide attacks and bombings are coward,” Karwan said at the time.

Karwan’s assassination in Kabul was sharply criticized by critics.

Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah has ordered the relevant departments to assess Karwan’s assassination and bring perpetrators to justice.

“We have started our investigation. It is clear that the enemies of Afghan people are behind such attacks,” the Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.