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[h=4]Afghan 'execution' shocks[/h]This video of a 22 year-old Afghan woman being shot, apparently for committing adultery, has caused outrage inside and outside Afghanistan. WARNING: DISTURBING IMAGES
''WE CANNOT forgive her, God tells us to finish her,'' the bearded Talib intones before another man approaches the squatting woman and, yelling ''God is great'', fires nine shots, leaving her dead, her body slumped in the dirt.
While public executions of Afghan women were a horrific but common sight under the deadly Taliban rule in the 1990s, tragically this death - filmed by an anonymous person and now seen by millions around the world - happened last month, only two hours from Kabul.
The first two shots strike the dirt next to her, but the next seven find their mark, as the village men make what appear to be jeering noises in the background.
''Barbaric attack'' ... a still taken from a video moments before the execution of a young woman called Najiba in Parwan province. Photo: AFP
The image of dozens of men watching compliantly as a Taliban official orders the death of the woman will be a blow to the US-led military coalition, which after a decade of costly war wishes to portray the Taliban as a spent force and Afghanistan as increasingly lawful.
It comes amid growing reports of attacks against women. In May it was reported that 160 schoolgirls were admitted to hospital in northern Afghanistan after concerns they had been poisoned.
While it was unclear if the girls had indeed been poisoned or by whom, the case was indicative of the unease Afghan women feel as international security forces prepare to leave.
Yesterday politicians around the world condemned the killing. The Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, said the attack emphasised how much more work needed to be done. ''[It is] a barbaric attack on a defenceless woman and another stark reminder of the brutalities that were regularly committed under Taliban rule and of the task ahead of us in advancing the rights of Afghan women and girls,'' he said.
''This is precisely why we're working with the Afghan national government to build a sovereign, forward-looking Afghanistan with a constitution that protects the rights of women and girls.''
The woman has subsequently been identified by local officials as Najiba - many Afghans use only one name - and was in her 20s and did not have children. The incident occurred in the village of Qol-i-Heer, less than two hours' drive north-west of Kabul, in the Shinwari district of Parwan province.
According to some Afghan authorities she was killed as part of a struggle between local Taliban groups. The Governor of Parwan province, Basir Salangi, said the men donned burqas to escape to the Taliban-dominated hills surrounding the town.
The Taliban verdict stated Najiba was guilty of "illegal sexual relations". However, Mr Salangi said Najiba was shot because while she was living with a Taliban commander called Qader she had also slept with the Taliban's shadow district governor, Mirza Khan.
The men "faked a court to decide about the fate of this woman and in one hour, they executed the woman".
The Taliban have not commented on Najiba's execution, but last month a spokesman posted a lengthy diatribe online extolling their treatment of women. ''In this dark period of American occupation and in complete disagreement of our Islamic and national customs and culture, women are intentionally being pushed towards ignorance; are having to face inhumane conditions under the name of democracy.''
The Australian National University's Professor William Maley, considered Australia's pre-eminent Afghanistan scholar, said the incident highlighted the dangers women face under a ''resurgent'' Taliban.
He said the fact that the Australian embassy in Kabul did not accept refugee applications made it very difficult for women fleeing domestic or community violence to seek refuge in countries such as Australia.
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[h=4]Afghan 'execution' shocks[/h]This video of a 22 year-old Afghan woman being shot, apparently for committing adultery, has caused outrage inside and outside Afghanistan. WARNING: DISTURBING IMAGES
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''WE CANNOT forgive her, God tells us to finish her,'' the bearded Talib intones before another man approaches the squatting woman and, yelling ''God is great'', fires nine shots, leaving her dead, her body slumped in the dirt.
While public executions of Afghan women were a horrific but common sight under the deadly Taliban rule in the 1990s, tragically this death - filmed by an anonymous person and now seen by millions around the world - happened last month, only two hours from Kabul.
The first two shots strike the dirt next to her, but the next seven find their mark, as the village men make what appear to be jeering noises in the background.
The image of dozens of men watching compliantly as a Taliban official orders the death of the woman will be a blow to the US-led military coalition, which after a decade of costly war wishes to portray the Taliban as a spent force and Afghanistan as increasingly lawful.
It comes amid growing reports of attacks against women. In May it was reported that 160 schoolgirls were admitted to hospital in northern Afghanistan after concerns they had been poisoned.
While it was unclear if the girls had indeed been poisoned or by whom, the case was indicative of the unease Afghan women feel as international security forces prepare to leave.
Yesterday politicians around the world condemned the killing. The Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, said the attack emphasised how much more work needed to be done. ''[It is] a barbaric attack on a defenceless woman and another stark reminder of the brutalities that were regularly committed under Taliban rule and of the task ahead of us in advancing the rights of Afghan women and girls,'' he said.
''This is precisely why we're working with the Afghan national government to build a sovereign, forward-looking Afghanistan with a constitution that protects the rights of women and girls.''
The woman has subsequently been identified by local officials as Najiba - many Afghans use only one name - and was in her 20s and did not have children. The incident occurred in the village of Qol-i-Heer, less than two hours' drive north-west of Kabul, in the Shinwari district of Parwan province.
According to some Afghan authorities she was killed as part of a struggle between local Taliban groups. The Governor of Parwan province, Basir Salangi, said the men donned burqas to escape to the Taliban-dominated hills surrounding the town.
The Taliban verdict stated Najiba was guilty of "illegal sexual relations". However, Mr Salangi said Najiba was shot because while she was living with a Taliban commander called Qader she had also slept with the Taliban's shadow district governor, Mirza Khan.
The men "faked a court to decide about the fate of this woman and in one hour, they executed the woman".
The Taliban have not commented on Najiba's execution, but last month a spokesman posted a lengthy diatribe online extolling their treatment of women. ''In this dark period of American occupation and in complete disagreement of our Islamic and national customs and culture, women are intentionally being pushed towards ignorance; are having to face inhumane conditions under the name of democracy.''
The Australian National University's Professor William Maley, considered Australia's pre-eminent Afghanistan scholar, said the incident highlighted the dangers women face under a ''resurgent'' Taliban.
He said the fact that the Australian embassy in Kabul did not accept refugee applications made it very difficult for women fleeing domestic or community violence to seek refuge in countries such as Australia.