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New Delhi: In a disturbing show that drew an estimated 80,000 onlookers, a public execution was carried out in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province on Tuesday. According to the reports, a 13-year-old boy was instructed to pull the trigger.
The chilling event unfolded inside Khost’s central stadium, a scene publicly encouraged by Taliban officials who had issued widespread notices on Monday urging residents to attend. According to Amu TV, citing locals, the executed man was accused of killing members of the teen's family.
Before the fatal shots, Taliban officials reportedly turned to the young relative of the victim, the 13-year-old boy and offered him the chance to pardon the convicted man. Upon his refusal, a weapon was placed in his hands, and he was directed to carry out the killing. Moments later, the boy fired the fatal shots.
The Taliban's Supreme Court later released a statement identifying the executed man as Mangal, son of Talah Khan, asserting he had been found guilty of murdering a man named Abdul Rahman with a Kalashnikov rifle. The court declared that a "retaliatory punishment" was administered after his case had undergone "thoroughly and repeatedly reviewed" processes.
"The families of the victims were offered amnesty and peace, but they refused," the court stated, emphasising that the case had passed through primary, appeals, and high courts before receiving final authorisation from the Taliban’s supreme leader. The convicted man was reportedly from Sanjak village in Paktia’s Syed Karam district but had resided in Khost’s Ali Shir and Terezio districts.
Further details from authorities indicated that Mangal was among several attackers who opened fire on a house in January 2025 (as reported), an incident that claimed the lives of 10 people, including three women.
This execution marks the 12th public killing since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, according to an AFP tally. The practice has drawn fierce condemnation from international human rights bodies.
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, had publicly voiced his concerns on Tuesday, prior to the Khost execution, stating on X that such acts were "inhumane, cruel, and an unusual punishment, contrary to international law." He unequivocally called for an end to these practices, asserting, "They must stop."
