RASC News Agency: Local sources in Herat province have shared footage showing the Taliban executing three former military personnel by hanging and then parading their bodies through the city. According to the source that provided the footage to RASC News Agency, on Thursday, May 9, the Taliban publicly executed several former soldiers of the Republic government by hanging them from cranes on trucks.
In the footage, the Taliban use loudspeakers on the trucks to announce to the public that anyone who engages in kidnapping or theft will face the same punishment as the individuals being executed. The Taliban hanged the three individuals shown in the footage, accusing them of theft and kidnapping. However, some sources told RASC News Agency that these individuals were former government soldiers who had spent over two years in detention before being executed under the pretext of being kidnappers and thieves.
In a related development, a source in Herat province stated that western Afghanistan prisons are currently overcrowded with former government soldiers who are facing public execution for various alleged crimes. The source added that most former soldiers facing violence from the Taliban in Herat and western Afghanistan are of non-Pashtun ethnic backgrounds. According to the source, the Taliban believe they can manipulate public opinion through such displays, but people remain aware and vigilant in the face of these events.
It is important to note that witnessing public hangings can have significant psychological and emotional consequences on society. Furthermore, a Herat resident named Qurban told RASC News Agency, “My wife and children were on our way to visit relatives when trucks with hanged bodies suddenly drove past us.” He added, “My wife and several of my children started crying at the sight, which caused emotional and psychological distress for my family and the wider community.”
Meanwhile, Farzad Barati, a civil society activist in western Afghanistan, told RASC that two and a half years ago, the Taliban carried out similar public executions of several Republic government security forces at a major square in Herat, challenging public sentiment. He stated, “By publicly executing some former government soldiers, the Taliban are exacting revenge for the past 20 years against the Republic government security forces and warning the public that any dissent or wrongdoing will result in severe punishment.”
Barati further explained that the Taliban’s general amnesty was a trap for their enemies, allowing them to identify and eliminate those who had fought against them in the last two decades. It is worth noting that many individuals abroad, contemplating a return to their homeland despite numerous challenges, may reconsider their decisions upon seeing such footage, which could significantly alter their perspectives.
