According to the Afghan Ministry of Interior, a total of 22 military officers of the Afghan forces have been killed in targeted killings across the country in the last month, with the latest being gunned down on Wednesday in Kabul, TOLOnews reported. 

An officer from the Afghan National Army was killed in Kabul on Wednesday evening when he was returning from a nearby mosque. On the same day, another retired army colonel was also gunned down by the Taliban in the capital.

The ministry informed around 8 officers were killed in Kabul in the last 10 days alone. Targeted assassinations have emerged as the most potent weapon from the Taliban, and at the same time, it posed a great challenge for the government. 

On Thursday, a woman journalist from Nangarhar province was also assassinated by unknown gunmen. Experts believe, the Taliban has adopted this method to silence vocal dissidents from the Afghan civil societies as the country stands at a crucial inflection point. 

A report by UNAMA showed that targeted killings account for 45 percent of the total civilian casualties in Afghanistan.