The killing of an Afghan comic by Taliban militants this week has raised fears of revenge killings, as the Taliban take control of the country.
ADVERTISEMENT
The killing of an Afghan comic by Taliban militants this week has raised fears of revenge killings, as the Taliban take control of the country.
Nazar Mohammad, better known as Khasha Zwan, was a popular comedian in the country’s south.
A video of two men slapping and abusing him spread widely on social media, and he was later shot multiple times.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid acknowledged that the two men attacking him in the video were Taliban, and that they would go on trial.
But the murder has raised fears about further reprisals, as the US and its allies pull their final personnel out of the country and the Afghan government and security forces crumbling before the Taliban advance.
Afghan television actors in Kandahar city have called the killing of Nazar Mohammad unjustifiable.
Mohammad was not a TV personality but would post his routines on TikTok.
He was known for crude jokes, funny songs, poking fun at himself, and often making fun of topics thrown at him from fans.
The brutality of the killing undermined the Taliban's assurances that no harm would come to people who worked for the government, with the US military or withUS organisations.
Hundreds of people are reportedly being held by Taliban in areas they have overrun.
Schools have been burned and reports have emerged of restrictions being imposed on women akin to those imposed when the insurgents last ruled Afghanistan.