In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, bodies of criminals hanged from excavators: Report
Since the Taliban takeover, many Afghans fear harsh punishments to return, in accordance with the hardline ideology the group practices. During their rules in 1990s, punishments included hand amputations and executions of murderers with a single bullet to the head.
In a fresh set of shocking images that have emerged from Afghanistan, three men were hanged from excavators in the western province of Herat. The images were carried by The Sun, which said in a report that the men were accused of indulging in kidnapping.
The tabloid quoted deputy governor Mawlawi Shir Ahmad Muhajir to report that the three men were killed after entering a man's home to rob him.
The Sun report also said in its report that locals were seen clicking photos of the bodies hanging by their necks in Obe district of Herat in full public view.
In the past week, the Taliban have arrested 85 alleged criminals, some accused of petty crimes, and others of murder, kidnapping and robbery, said Noor Ahmad Rabbani of the group's anti-crime department.
On at least two occasions in Kabul, petty thieves were paraded around the streets to shame them, handcuffed, with their faces painted or with stale bread stuffed in their mouths.
Since the Taliban takeover, many Afghans fear harsh punishments to return, in accordance with the hardline ideology the group practices. During their last time in power in the late 1990s, the Taliban imposed their harsh interpretation of Islamic law.
That included punishments like the hand amputations, executions of murderers with a single bullet to the head, most often by a relative of the murder victim and all carried out in public. Religious police beat men for trimming their beards or for not attending prayers.
Gun-toting Taliban have taken up positions at checkpoints across Kabul and gradually some have been made to wear uniforms - the beginnings of a new national security force, reported news agency AP, quoting officials.
For many Kabul residents the sight of the fighters is frightening as they roam the streets freely, with their signature long hair, traditional dress and Kalashnikov rifles hanging by their sides.