Taliban conducts dual public execution at Afghanistan stadium

Taliban’s Supreme Court sanctioned a dual public execution in southeastern Afghanistan, citing accountability for fatal stabbings in separate incidents

Taliban conducted a dual public execution at a stadium in southeastern Afghanistan on Thursday, with thousands witnessing the killing of two convicted men by the victims’ relatives. 

According to a court statement, the Taliban’s Supreme Court had determined that the pair were accountable for the fatal stabbings of two victims in separate incidents. 

The individuals were identified as Syed Jamal from central Wardak province and Gul Khan from Ghazni, although it was unclear whether the convicted men or others were responsible for the stabbings. 

The statement indicated that three lower courts and the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, had authorized the executions as retribution for their alleged crimes. 

A large crowd gathered outside the stadium in the Ali Lala area of Ghazni city on Thursday, attempting to gain entry, while religious scholars urged the victims’ relatives to pardon the convicts, but they declined. 

Ghazni police spokesperson Abu Abu Khalid Sarhadi revealed that the victims’ relatives carried out the executions of the two men without specifying the type of firearms used. 

A total of 15 bullets were discharged, with eight aimed at one man and seven at the other, followed by the removal of their bodies by ambulances. 

These executions mark the third and fourth public killings since the Taliban took control in 2021 during the tumultuous exit of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan. 

The United Nations has strongly condemned the Taliban for their implementation of public executions, floggings, and stonings following their rise to power, urging the country’s leaders to cease such practices. 

During their previous reign over Afghanistan in the late 1990s, the Taliban routinely carried out public executions, whippings, and stonings. 

Source: AP