Afghan police promise justice for Taliban stoning

Police have promised to bring justice to those responsible for a stoning in north Afghanistan.

The news follows the release of footage of the incident in which a group of men stoned a man and a woman to death in Kunduz province’s Dashte Archi region in August of last year. The couple had been accused of adultery in an area that is still controlled by the Taliban. Hundreds of locals were in attendance for the event but none have been charged.

Gen Daoud Daoud, chief of police for the region, said after viewing the footage that those committing the crime could be recognised in the video. He said that a number of special investigators would be sent to the area who would be able to help find the suspects in the effort of bringing them to justice.

The footage of the incident is quite graphic and has just recently been viewed by Nato and Afghan authorities. It shows the two people being stoned violently until they collapse. The woman is shot three times after she miraculously survived a number of strikes.

Reports say the couple had just recently returned to Afghanistan after eloping in nearby Pakistan. They had been told that they would not be harmed upon their return.

Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman spoke in defence of the sentencing, saying it was part of Islamic law and that those that call stoning inhumane insult the profit.