Taliban use cranes to hang two men in public
Reuters,
September 23, 2000


KABUL, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement on Saturday publicly executed two men accused of working with opposition forces and carrying out bomb attacks in the capital Kabul, witnesses said.

The two blindfolded men in their late 30s, their hands tied behind their backs, were hanged by the neck from ropes attached to two separate cranes.

Hundreds of Taliban guards and several journalists saw both men die in a matter of seconds when the cranes lifted them up.

The site was close to the famous Ariana square where the Taliban executed former communist president Dr Najibullah and his brother four years ago when the movement captured Kabul.

The bodies of the two men will remain on the cranes all day as part of Taliban's policy to deter others.

Mullah Dadullah, the Taliban military chief, told reporters that the two men were involved in the recent bomb blasts including last week's missile attack on Kabul airport and at other Taliban military installations.

He said the execution warrant was issued by a military tribunal with the approval of Taliban's supreme leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, after "both of the men confessed to their crimes."

"It is not necessary for you to speak with them. They have already accepted their sins, and the punishment of those who carry out any sabotage like bombing, is execution," Dadullah said.

He said the two men were arrested "red handed" last week and belonged to a major network of the opposition forces led by veteran commander Ahmad Shah Masood.

Opposition officials have denied any link with the two men.

Photo from a video film by RAWA
All photos from a video film by RAWA using a hidden camera

Photo from a video film by RAWA

Photo from a video film by RAWA

Photo from a video film by RAWA
Photo from a video film by RAWA

Dadullah said 20 other suspects of the same group were also under investigation and would also be hanged if found guilty.

He displayed explosive devices which he said were seized from the two at the time of their arrest and he accused Iran and Russia of providing explosives to the opposition forces to disrupt security in Taliban areas.

The Taliban fundamentalists hold most of the country, including Kabul, which it seized from Masood, the military chief of the ousted government, in 1996.




Taliban hang two saboteurs in public
The News,
September 24, 2000

KABUL: Afghanistan's ruling Taliban on Saturday publicly executed two men accused of working with opposition forces and carrying out bomb attacks in the capital Kabul, witnesses said.

The two blindfolded men - Meya Gul and Amir Sardar - in their late 30s, their hands tied behind their backs, were hanged by the neck from ropes attached to two separate cranes. Hundreds of Taliban guards and several journalists saw both men die in a matter of seconds when the cranes lifted them up.

The site was close to the famous Ariana square where the Taliban executed former communist president Dr Najibullah and his brother four years ago when the movement captured Kabul. Bank notes were later stuffed into the mouths and noses and attached to the toes of the hanged men as a symbol of humiliation, while Taliban soldiers occasionally jolted the bodies. The bodies of the two men will remain on the cranes all day as part of Taliban's policy to deter others.

Mullah Dadullah, the Taliban military chief, told reporters that the two men were involved in the recent bomb blasts including last week's missile attack on Kabul airport and at other Taliban military installations. He said the execution warrant was issued by a military tribunal with the approval of Taliban's supreme leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, after "both of the men confessed" to their crimes. "It is not necessary for you to speak with them. They have already accepted their sins, and the punishment of those who carry out any sabotage like bombing, is execution," Dadullah said.

He said the two men were arrested "red handed" last week and belonged to a major network of the opposition forces led by commander Ahmad Shah Masood who paid them the equivalent of more than $ 1,100 for each explosion.

Dadullah said 20 other suspects of the same group were also under investigation and would also be hanged if found guilty. He displayed explosive devices, which he said were seized from the two at the time of their arrest and he accused Iran and Russia of providing explosives to the opposition forces to disrupt security in Taliban areas.

Opposition officials have denied any link with the two men. A senior opposition official Mohammad Yunus Qanooni denied the charge and said the hangings were an offshoot of the Taliban's "inner differences".







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