Local sources shared footage appearing to show Taliban officials executing a man in the street in Herat, Afghanistan, on Friday. The incident reportedly took place around 5:22 p.m. in the fourth district of the city. The video depicts several men in uniform apprehending an individual dressed in a blue robe, who is then seen being punched and slapped before his hands are tied behind his back.
The man falls to the ground and appears to attempt an escape before one of the individuals shoots him. Reports indicate that a child was also present at the scene. The man has been identified by local sources as Abdul Qadir, a welder whose family states he had no ties to any political or militant groups and had not been previously detained by the Taliban. Family members and associates asserted that if Qadir had committed a crime, he should have been brought before a court rather than subjected to a public execution.
Reports suggest that Sayed Ahmad Mohammadi, identified as a Taliban security commander, may have been present, along with his brother and brother-in-law. Allegations claim the commander was involved in the killing, potentially in exchange for his brother-in-law's consent for him to marry his sister. Sayed Masoud Hosseini, the spokesman for the Herat Police Command, stated that initial findings pointed to the incident stemming from personal animosity rather than public insecurity.
Following social media attention to the incident, Taliban police in Herat announced on Monday that suspects had been arrested, though no further details were provided. The family of Abdul Qadir has reportedly faced pressure to drop the matter, and no charges have been brought against the deceased man. This incident is reportedly one of several videos to emerge showing Taliban fighters shooting individuals with their hands bound. Similar footage has previously surfaced from Panjshir, Andarab, and Badakhshan, and the group has been accused of killing numerous people suspected of collaborating with opposition groups.
Public executions are noted to be a practice in Afghanistan. In December, a different execution saw a 13-year-old boy carry out a killing in front of thousands in Khost. The victim, identified as Mangal, was convicted of murdering 13 people and was sentenced to 'retaliatory punishment' after what the Supreme Court described as precise and repeated examination of his case. The court stated that the victims' families had refused offers of amnesty. Official notices had urged public attendance at that execution, with the boy reportedly being a family member of one of Mangal's victims.
