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.

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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.