The Taliban display the bodies of 4 kidnappers in public squares in Herat
The Taliban suspended the bodies of four kidnappers with cranes shortly after they were killed Saturday during an exchange of fire in the western Afghan city of Herat, a senior official said.
Herat's deputy governor, Maulvi Sher Ahmad Muhajir, said the men's bodies were displayed in public to give a "lesson" that kidnappings would not be tolerated.
Pictures posted on social media showed bloodied bodies aboard a pickup truck while a crane was hanging another body.
This took place in full view of the people present as Taliban gunmen gathered around the truck.
Another video showed the body of a man hanging from a crane at a major crossroads in Herat with a sign on his chest that read, "The kidnappers will be punished in this way."
This is the most prominent punishment the Taliban has applied since its return to power last month, and is a sign that the militants will adopt punishment measures similar to those they applied during their first rule between 1996 and 2001.
Maulvi Sher Ahmed Mohajer added that the security forces were informed of the kidnapping of a businessman and his son in the city on Saturday morning.
He explained that the police closed the roads leading out of the city and the Taliban stopped the men at a checkpoint, where "there was an exchange of fire."
"As a result of the fighting, which lasted a few minutes, one Taliban member was wounded and the four kidnappers were killed," Muhajir said in a video statement sent to AFP.
The official confirmed that before Saturday's incident, there were other kidnappings in the city and the Taliban had succeeded in rescuing a boy.
He said that one of the kidnappers was killed and three others were arrested, although in another case, "the Taliban failed and the kidnappers managed to get a ransom."
Muhajir concluded that displaying the bodies of the kidnappers aims to "be a lesson to others not to kidnap or harass anyone. We hung them in the city squares and made it clear to everyone that anyone who steals, kidnaps, or performs any act against our people will be punished."
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