Members of an Afghan Special Forces Unit were executed by the Taliban on June 16 in Dawlat Abad in Faryab province. Videos of the execution have been released showing at least a dozen unarmed men shot to death as they leave a building and attempt to surrender. The commandos had fought in a fierce battle to hold the town of Dawlat Abad but had run out of ammunition and were surrounded.
These executions contrast sharply to the Taliban’s efforts to accept the surrenders of soldiers and even paying them to go home in some instances. The Taliban has denied the executions in a twitter post stating it is fictitious and that the video is fabricated. Amnesty International UK stated that the killings amounted to a war crime.
Read more: Taliban fighters execute 22 Afghan commandos as they try to surrender
