London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 22, 2026

Taliban official says regime is bringing back executions, amputations

The Taliban will once again resort to executions and amputations to enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law – though possibly not in public, one of the group’s founders said.
The Taliban will once again resort to executions and amputations to enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law — though possibly not in public, one of the group’s founders said in a new interview.

Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, the one-eyed, one-legged enforcer who was in charge of justice during the Taliban’s brutal rule two decades ago, warned the international community not to interfere with the new regime in Kabul.

“Everyone criticized us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments,” Turabi told the Associated Press from the capital.

“No one will tell us what our laws should be. We will follow Islam and we will make our laws on the Quran,” he added.

Since taking power Aug. 15, the Taliban have sent a collective shudder among Afghans by reinstating the Ministry for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which had been abolished following the US occupation.

From 1996 to 2001, the ministry enforced stringent restrictions on women, who were forced to wear the burqa, forbidden from leaving their home without a male relative, and banned from education beyond the sixth grade.

The ministry, which was headed by Turabi at the time, also brutally imposed prayer times, mandated that men grow beards, and prohibited music, smoking and other forms of entertainment.

During his time at the helm, the world condemned the extremists’ punishments — public spectacles that took place in Kabul’s sports stadium or on the grounds of the Eid Gah mosque.

Convicted murderers were usually executed with a single shot to the head, carried out by the victim’s family, who had the choice of accepting “blood money” and allowing the person to live.

Convicted thieves had a hand amputated, while the punishment for highway robbers was the loss of a foot and a hand.

“Cutting off of hands is very necessary for security,” Turabi told the AP, adding that the cabinet was considering a policy on whether to mete out the punishments in public.

He noted that this time, judges — including women — would adjudicate cases, but that the foundation of the national laws will be the Quran.

Despite his ominous message, Turabi insisted that the Taliban “are changed from the past.”

He said they will allow television, mobile phones, photos and video “because this is the necessity of the people, and we are serious about it.”

Chillingly, he added that if punishments are made public, people may be allowed to video or take photos to spread the deterrent effect.
Comments

Sid 5 year ago
Ah the religion of peace. Why would any country allow this 7th century barbarians in their country where it is well known they will never assimilate

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Woke: Britain Considers Plain Packaging for Cigars as Specialist Shops Warn of Industry Collapse
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
Petrol Bombs Set Luxury Cars Alight Outside Birmingham Wedding as Police Hunt Three Men
Bitcoin Surges Toward $80,000 as Short Squeeze and ETF Inflows Ignite Crypto Rally
Prince Harry and Co-Claimants Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million Toward Daily Mail Publisher’s Legal Costs
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Plan Return to Britain With Their Children
UK Court Ruling Threatens Deportation Plans for Potential Trafficking Victims to Albania
Kemi Badenoch Presses UK Government for Decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw Oil Fields
UK Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Calls for Ban on Goods from Occupied West Bank
Andy Burnham Government to Place Civil Servants Directly in English Mayoral Offices
Met Office Warns Major El Niño Could Bring Stormier, Wetter Autumn to UK
UK Economy Gains Unexpected Momentum Ahead of Andy Burnham Government’s First Budget
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Royal Navy to Accelerate DragonFire Laser Deployment Against Growing Drone Threat
Northern Ireland Approves Five Hundred Million Pound Belfast Harbour Expansion
Great British Railways Takes Full Control of Avanti West Coast as Rail Nationalisation Reaches Final Stage
UK AI Safety Institute Calls for Mandatory Security Audits of Advanced AI Models
Scotland Secures Three Billion Pounds for Floating Offshore Wind Hub in Aberdeen
Government Overrides Local Councils to Approve Green Belt Housing Across Southern England
UK and EU Move Toward Mutual Recognition of Food Standards to Ease Cross-Channel Trade
Government Plans Multibillion-Pound Private Healthcare Expansion to Cut NHS Surgical Backlogs
Bank of England Signals Faster Rate Cuts as Inflation Falls Below the Two Percent Target
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
UK Markets Watch US National Debt Surpass Forty Trillion Dollars
UK Broadcasters Urge Government to Invest in Digital Participation and Broadband
CVC Capital Partners and Standard Life Launch Two Billion Pound Pension Risk Transfer Venture
UK Private Sector Productivity Growth Accelerates in Second Quarter
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Condemns Israeli E1 Settlement Tender
UK Watchdog Investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Hidden Fees
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan Move to Private Home Outside London
UK Retail Sentiment Improves as Summer Spending Boosts Consumer Confidence
UK Aid Cuts Draw Warnings From Charities Over Humanitarian Consequences
UK Financial Conduct Authority Issues Guidance for Motor Finance Redress Scheme
UK Met Office Launches Aviation Programme to Reduce Climate Impact of Persistent Contrails
Former UK Civil Service Chief Received Record 500,000 Pound Severance Payment
West Midlands to Bring Bus Network Under Public Franchising Model
UK Government Drops Plan to Relax Affordable Housing Requirements After Backlash
×