Afghanistan: Taliban Admits To Killing Comic, Video of Assault Goes Viral

The Taliban on Thursday, 29 July, admitted to having killed an Afghan comic.

(Photo: Screenshot/Twitter video)

The Taliban on Thursday, 29 July, admitted to having killed an Afghan comic, in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, following the video that went viral where two men can be seen slapping the comic.

Popularly known as "Khasha Zwan", Fazal Mohammad was stationed in southern Kandahar province but was taken away by the Taliban after returning home about two weeks ago, according to an officer serving with him, news agency AFP reported.

A video of two men slapping Mohammad went viral on social media. After which, he was killed and shot multiple times.

Acknowledging that the two men were Taliban, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday, “He was not a comedian, he fought against us in several battles. He had tried to flee when we detained him, prompting our gunmen to kill him," AFP reported.

Mujahid added that Mohammad "was an active policeman and responsible for deaths of many people.”

The Afghan government faces an “existential crisis”, as per the US watchdog group SIGAR, as the Taliban increased its attacks following the February 2020 agreement with the US, which called for the withdrawal of US forces in exchange for security guarantees from the Taliban.

‘More of an Entertainer’: Police Commander Sailab

Saying that the comic was never deployed in combat, police commander Sailab added that Mohammad was more of an entertainer for the checkpoint's officers.

Reacting to the killing, second vice president Sarwar Danesh said in a Facebook post, it "displayed the nature of the enemies of this land and their hostility to culture, art and freedom".

Last week, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in an interview with The Associated Press, that the group’s commanders have been ordered not to interfere with civilians or impose restrictions in newly captured areas. He added that when complaints of wrongdoings arise they are investigated, Al Jazeera reported.

Saying that revenge killings have been committed by all sides during war, Patricia Gossman of Human Rights Watch added, “The war, all 43 years of it, has a revenge-driven dynamic,” she had said in an interview on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reported.

"Revenge for past wrongs, including terrible atrocities, committed by one side or the other has been a mobilising factor for all the various armed forces."

Patricia Gossman of Human Rights Watch, as quoted by Al Jazeera

Moreover, as many as 18,000 Afghans, who worked for the US military are now afraid of revenge and have reportedly decided to apply for Special Immigration Visas to the United States.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera, AP and AFP)