Afghan Taliban warns of retaliation after executions

By Zabihullah Tamanna

KABUL

The Taliban have vowed to take revenge on the Afghan government after six of their fellow militants were executed by the authorities in Kabul earlier this week.

"The Kabul puppet regime took six oppressed prisoners from jail and executed them. We strongly condemn the act," the group said in a statement.

The Kabul government, it added, "cannot achieve its goals by executing people".

The group went on to assert that it would put the Afghan institutions and officials involved in the executions at the top of its target list.

"We have thousands of suicide bombers at the ready to wage attacks on the enemy and take our revenge; we will not disappoint the families of our slain colleagues," the group said.

On Sunday, the Afghan authorities executed six Taliban militants convicted earlier of involvement in terrorist acts.

"In line with Islamic laws, the Afghan constitution and the demands of the relatives of those killed in recent bombings, the president approves the death penalties for these six people involved in terrorist activities," read a statement released by the Afghan presidency.

"The execution order was approved after a careful assessment in consideration of justice and Afghanistan’s human rights obligations," the statement added.

Several local and international rights organizations voiced displeasure over the executions and urged Kabul to refrain from carrying out additional executions.

While the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) voiced its regret over the killings, the Afghan parliament welcomed the move.

Ongoing violence

In a related development Monday, at least 17 policemen were killed in a Taliban attack in the southern Helmand province’s Grishk and Nad Ali districts, according to a member of Helmand’s provincial council.

On the same day in Afghanistan’s central Ghore province, 34 Afghan police -- including their commander -- surrendered to the Taliban, which has recently stepped up its attacks on Afghan security forces as part of an annual spring offensive.