A group of Taliban fighters beheaded an Afghan soldier in a horrific video that also showed them celebrating by shouting “God is great” and praising Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The 36-second video, obtained by the Washington Examiner, was originally posted to a private Taliban chat room about a week ago.
The images show six Taliban fighters surrounding the man who was lying on his back, with his head resting on his chest.
“Shoot him! He must look shot! ”The group leader said towards the end of the video, indicating his intention to hide the death by beheading.
The video raises significant questions about the Taliban’s promises to the international community that they would offer amnesty to those who oppose their conquest of the country.
“I would like to assure the international community, including the United States, that no one will be injured,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said last month. “We don’t want any internal or external enemies.”
Local Afghans were not surprised by the brutality.
“This is barbaric and I will never trust the Taliban,” Afghan security consultant Nasser Von Wazirit told the examiner. “A terrorist is always a terrorist.”