12 lashed in Afghan stadium

THE Taliban have lashed three women and nine men in front of hundreds of spectators in a provincial sports stadium in Afghanistan, officials said.

The display signals the group’s resumption of a brutal form of punishment that was a hallmark of their rule in the 1990s.

Officials sent out invitations to “honourable scholars, mujahideen, elders, tribal leaders and local people” to attend the stadium in Puli Alam, south of the capital Kabul. Those being punished received between 21 and 39 lashes each after being convicted of theft and adultery, an official said.

The official added hundreds of people had attended the lashings but a ban was imposed on taking photos and video.

Such events, as well as public executions and stonings, were common during the first period of Taliban rule from 1996 until 2001, when the militants were driven out in a US-led invasion.

Following a 20-year insurgency, they returned to power last year, coinciding with the withdrawal of foreign troops.