Taliban stages public execution of man who killed 2 brothers

THE Pakistani Taliban staged a public execution in front of hundreds of tribesmen in the country’s north-west after an Islamic court convicted the man of killing two brothers, intelligence officials and a local resident said yesterday.

The execution illustrated the level of militant control in North Waziristan, a tribal area along the Afghan border that the US has long pushed Pakistan to target. Many Islamist militants use North Waziristan as a base to launch attacks against NATO troops in Afghanistan.

The man who was executed was caught by the Taliban minutes after he killed the brothers two weeks ago in Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, said intelligence officials.

A Taliban court convicted him of murder and sentenced him to death, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

After the ruling, the Taliban paraded the man onto a soccer field in Miran Shah surrounded by hundreds of tribesmen, said local resident Khan Ameer. As the Taliban watched, a brother of the slain men shot the convicted murderer six times, he said.

Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan enforce a strict form of Islamic law and often carry out public executions to demonstrate power and warn local residents to obey rules.