Six Taliban militants sentenced to death were hanged on Sunday inside Pul-i-Charkhi prison on the eastern outskirts of capital Kabul, a credible source said.
The source, who wished not to be named, told Pajhwok Afghan News the death row prisoners were hanged this morning, but refused to provide further details.
The Presidential Palace in a statement said the convicts were involved in major crimes against civilians and public security. They were hanged based on the country’s constitution and Islamic laws.
The statement said President Ashraf Ghani approved the death penalties for the six people who had been involved in "terrorist activities," based on Afghanistan and Islamic laws after repeated requests from the victims’ families.
The execution order was approved after a careful assessment in consideration of justice and Afghanistan’s human rights obligations, the source said, adding the order was implemented by the judiciary organs on Sunday.
The statement added the Afghan government and the President were committed to enforcing justice with full transparency on criminals involved in terrorism, killing innocent people, and disrupting public security.
However, the statement did not provide more details about the identities and names of the executed people.
Earlier, President Ashraf Ghani had told a joint sitting of parliament that the time of impunity was over and all legal punishments including executions would be enforced.
Ghani approved the first set of executions after a deadly Taliban bombing that killed 64 people and wounded wounded another 340 last month in the heart of Kabul.
After the attack, Ghani toughened his stance against the militants and vowed a tough military response.
Amnesty International had urged Ghani not to sign executions orders. “By hastily seeking retribution for the horrific bombings. will neither bring the victims the justice they deserve, nor Afghanistan the security it needs,” the rights watchdog said on May 4.
