Taliban perform public execution

The Taliban authorities on Wednesday executed an Afghan convicted of killing another man, the first public execution since the former insurgents took over Afghanistan last year, a spokesperson said. The announcement underscored the intentions by Afghanistan’s new rulers to continue hardline policies implemented since they took over the country in August 2021 and to stick to their interpretation of Islamic law, or Shariah. The execution, carried out with an assault rifle by the victim’s father, took place in western Farah province before hundreds of spectators and many top Taliban officials, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesperson.