Karzai Orders Manhunt in Wake of Public Execution

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday ordered the arrest of Taliban members who took part in the public execution of a woman accused of adultery, CNN reports.

The graphic video of the execution of the 22-year-old Afghan woman was obtained by Reuters on Saturday and quickly went viral, prompting outrage in Afghanistan and abroad. The shooting is believed to have taken place late last month in the Parwan province, an hour’s drive from Kabul, the nation’s capital.

The AFP reports that the woman in the video was married to a member of a hardline Taliban militant group. According to local government officials, the woman, named Najiba, was accused of adultery with a Taliban commander and that the militants wasted little time executing her. "Within one hour they decided that she was guilty and sentenced her to death," Parwan provincial spokeswoman Roshna Khalid said. "They shot her in front of villagers in her village, Qol."

In the disturbing video, a turban-clad man is seen shooting the crouching woman five times at close range while around 150 or so men watch, cheering and yelling encouragement. One declares that they cannot forgive her, and that God tells them to "finish her," and several shout "Long live Islam" and "Long live Mujahideen" upon her collapse. (Translation via AFP)

Public executions of alleged adulterers were common under the Taliban regime, between 1996 and 2001, when the U.S. overthrew it after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Almost nine out of 10 Afghan women suffer physical, sexual, or psychological violence and/or forced marriage at least once, according to a 2012 report from Human Rights Watch.