Taliban official: Strict punishment, executions will return

By KATHY GANNON
Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — One of the founders of the Taliban says the hard-line movement will once again carry out punishments like executions and amputations of hands, though perhaps not in public. Mullah Nooruddin Turabi was justice minister and head of the religious police when the Taliban were last in power in the 1990s. At that time, convicted murderers were killed by a single gunshot to the head and convicted thieves had their hand amputated. The punishments were usually carried out before large crowds at a stadium or mosque. Turabi, now in charge of prisons, spoke in a rare interview with The Associated Press this week. He said such punishments will return.