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KABUL: Amnesty International has condemned the Taliban for killing a group of Afghan commandos after they surrendered in Faryab province last month.
Following the release of a video by CNN of Taliban firing at a group of 22 army commandos in Faryab in June, Amnesty International called it a war crime.
The watchdog on Wednesday issued a statement saying the incident showed that the Taliban’s claim that they had changed their approach was completely false.
“Taliban’s actions are horrific and the killing undermined the group’s claim of respect for human rights in peace talks,” it said.
Amnesty International called on the Afghan government to investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of this “massacre”. The organization, however, stressed that otherwise, the international community and the International Criminal Court must act.
CNN on Tuesday released a 45-second video of the killing of government soldiers by Taliban fighters on June 26 this year in the Dawlatabad district of Faryab. The video shows a number of unarmed army commandos surrendering to the Taliban. The militants then shot them indiscriminately and behead them afterwards.
According to CNN, the Ministry of Defense has also confirmed the incident. The news network also reported that the Red Cross had confirmed that the bodies of 22 army commandos had been transferred from Dawlatabad district.
Sibghatullah Silab, deputy head of the Faryab provincial council on June 27, confirmed that at least 20 army commandos had been killed in Dawlatabad.
Silab added that they had killed the soldiers after the fall of the district.
