Taliban execute woman accused of adultery in Kabul

It would be shocking and heartrending in any civilized society, but in Afghanistan it is a matter of routine. Women are charged of adultery by a so-called religious council and subsequently shot dead in front of crowds with cheers. In the latest such event, Taliban have killed a woman near Kabul for adultery. The incident was filmed by one of the spectators when a turban-clad bearded man fired five shots at the kneeling woman. It is appalling that the incident took place just a few kilometers of Kabul while Afghan security forces and intelligence agencies remained unaware of the sad episode.

The crime was committed in the name of religion and spectators on the scene lauded the gruesome act of killing the woman. The security forces have yet to identify the ill-fated woman, let alone arresting the criminals. If Afghan security forces are sincere in apprehending the culprits, they can do it easily, as the identity of the culprits is quite evident in the video released to the media.

As the footage shows, around 150 people were present at the crime scene to see the punishment. Nobody knows who gave Taliban the right to kill the woman?

Human rights activists working in the volatile country have been pressing the Karzai-led government to act against the crooks who are committing crimes against humanity in the country and that too in the name of religion, but in vain. Nobody in the government dares to speak against such gruesome acts. People are even advised to stay away from such controversies. The beleaguered government is just limited to Kabul, while Taliban roam the country without any fear of being chased or killed by security agencies.

“Long live mujahideen,” were the slogan raised by the spectators of the grisly incident. For human rights activists and moderate Afghans, the incident is a painful reminder of the Taliban’s period in power – 1996 to 2001. Women were virtually confined to homes and treated badly during the Taliban regime. Ironically, all this was done and is being done in the name of religion. No religious cleric has ever spoken against the crime against women or dared to do true interpretation of religion and the holy Quran.

Such incidents not only mock Afghan forces, but also expose weakness of NATO forces that have been fighting against Taliban and terrorists since October 2001. The US plans to pull out troops at the end of 2014 from the violence-wracked country and hand over security matters to Afghan forces. Just imagine what Taliban will be doing after the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces. The Obama administration needs to look at all aspects of the volatile Afghanistan before pulling out troops from the country. There is a dire need to train Afghan forces on modern lines and equip them with sophisticated weapons to deal with Taliban and other militants.