



In a brutal example of the Taliban justice system, the militant group in Afghanistan cut off the hands and legs of two ‘thieves’ after a Sharia court delivered its verdict in the western Herat province.





The Taliban spokesman for western and southern areas of Afghanistan, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, said the two men had earlier confessed that they had stolen the property of Muslims.Taliban officials in Herat passed on the information to him in a report that the two men were punished in Rabat Sangi district in accordance with Sharia.Giving details, Ahmadi said that Zarin and Faiz Mohammad, both residents of Shahar Khel in Rabat Sangi district, committed the crime over a lengthy period of time.Zarin and Faiz were detained in a Taliban operation and later a Taliban court conducted an investigation into the case, the Taliban spokesman added in a statement. The statement was also emailed to The Express Tribune.Ahmadi claimed that the “thieves voluntarily confessed that they used force to take money, motorcycles and valuables from the people.”After their confession, the court ruled that their right hand and left leg be cut off and ordered the Taliban officials of the province to carry out the sentence. He said Zarin and Faiz were punished in public in Rabat Sangi district at 12pm time on Friday.“Thank God, in cooperation with local Taliban officials of the province, the verdict was carried out in accordance with Sharia law,” Ahmadi claimed. “Muslims of the area have expressed happiness over the implementation of the Sharia law and the verdict,” he added.There was no official reaction from the Afghan government about the claims.Published in The Express Tribune, April 21, 2013.