Out-of-power Taliban Resumes Public Executions

[NNN0LHI]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=1963240&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

PESHAWAR, Pakistan May 15, 2006 — Almost five years after being thrown out of power as a result of the U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan, the Taliban has gained sufficient strength in some remote parts of the country to resume public executions of people convicted of murder by pro-Taliban Islamic courts.

In the first week of May, the Taliban claimed that Badshah Khan, a convict, was executed in the presence of a large number of people in central Urozgan Province.

Deadly Revenge

Badshah Khan was tried by a Taliban-appointed Shariah (Islamic) court and found guilty of murdering one Fateh Khan, according to Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi. Speaking on satellite phone from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, Ahmadi said the court included Ulema (religious scholars), who sentenced Badshah Khan to death after trying him under Islamic law. He acknowledged that Badshah Khan was publicly executed in the district headquarters town of Gizab in Urozgan, which is the native province of Taliban Islamic movement founder Mulla Mohammad Omar. He said the heirs of Fateh Khan refused to forgive Badshah Khan or accept blood money, despite repeated requests from the family of the convicted murderer and the religious scholars present on the occasion.

"The members of the court then gave the go-ahead signal to the heirs of Fateh Khan to exercise their Islamic right of Qissas {revenge} and execute Badshah Khan," Ahmadi said. "One man shot at and killed Badshah Khan from close range."

[dogday]

1. Pat Tillman died for this????? nt

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Don't sound all that out of power to me

[bigtree]

3. sad