Taliban conduct first public execution since return to power

The Taliban person carried retired what is thought to beryllium their archetypal nationalist execution since the group's instrumentality to powerfulness successful Afghanistan past year.

A Taliban spokesperson said a antheral named Tajmir was killed astatine a crowded sports stadium successful south-western Farah state aft helium confessed to murder.

Dozens of the group's leaders, including astir apical ministers successful their government, attended the hanging.

It comes weeks aft judges were instructed to afloat enforce Sharia law.

However, the nonstop crimes and corresponding punishments person not been officially defined by the Taliban.

The militant Islamist radical had promised to prosecute a softer mentation of the harsh regularisation that characterised their erstwhile stint successful powerfulness from 1996 to 2001.

But the execution, which the Taliban said took spot connected Wednesday, marks a instrumentality to the group's extremist mentation of Sharia law.

While the radical has already carried retired respective nationalist floggings precocious - including that of a twelve radical earlier a crowded shot stadium successful Logar state past period - it marks the archetypal clip the Taliban person publically acknowledged carrying retired an execution.

According to their spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, the execution was attended by respective Supreme Court justices, subject unit and elder ministers - including the justice, overseas and interior ministers.

Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, charged with imposing the Taliban's strict mentation of Islamic instrumentality arsenic curate for vice and virtue, was besides present. However, Prime Minster Hasan Akhund did not attend, the connection said.

According to the Taliban, the executed antheral named Tajmir, a lad of Ghulam Sarwar and a nonmigratory of Herat province, had stabbed a antheral named Mustafa astir 5 years ago.

He was subsequently convicted by 3 Taliban courts and his condemnation was approved by Mullah Akhundzada.

Before the execution, a nationalist announcement was issued publicising the lawsuit and "asking each citizens to articulation america successful the athletics field".

The murdered man's parent told the BBC that Taliban leaders had pleaded with her to forgive the man, but she had insisted upon his execution.

"Taliban came to maine and begged maine to forgive this infidel," she said. "They importune maine to forgive this antheral successful involvement of God, but I told them that this antheral indispensable beryllium executed and indispensable beryllium buried the aforesaid arsenic helium did to my son.

"This could beryllium a acquisition to different people," she added. "If you bash not execute him helium volition perpetrate different crimes successful the future."

During their regularisation from 1996-2001, the Taliban were condemned for regularly carrying retired punishments successful public, including executions astatine the nationalist stadium successful Kabul.

The radical besides vowed that they would not repetition the brutal repression of women; but since they seized powerfulness women's freedoms person been severely curbed and a fig of women person been beaten for demanding rights.

At present, nary state has recognised their caller government.