 "Residents dig graves for the victims killed in an air strike by Pakistan, in Jige Mughalgai in Khost province on November 25, 2025. AFP/Representational image")
A 13-year-old boy from Afghanistan’s Khost executed a man convicted of murdering 13 members of a family, including nine children. The public execution was carried out at a stadium in Khost with about 80,000 spectators.
The boy who carried out the execution lost family members to the murderer. It marks the 11th judicial killing under the Taliban government in Afghanistan since they took over power in 2021.
The Afghan Supreme Court said, “In Khost Province, the divine order of Qisas (retaliation) was carried out on a murderer. At the conclusion of the gathering, prayers were made for the strengthening of national security, for the people’s better access to their legitimate rights, and for the proper implementation of Islamic Sharia throughout the country.”
Onlookers invited
Authorities had urged people to attend the execution in official notices shared widely on Monday. Tens of thousands, including victims’ relatives, gathered at Khost’s sports stadium to witness the execution.
Mostaghfar Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Khost, confirmed that Mangal had been convicted of killing a local resident, Abdul Rahman, along with other family members in the Ali Shir and Terezio districts about 10 months ago.
According to Amu News, the 13-year-old boy was asked if he would like to pardon the man. But upon his refusal to do so, the boy fired a fatal shot at the convicted man.
UN condemns execution
The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, said Tuesday, before the public execution, that such acts were “inhumane, cruel, and an unusual punishment, contrary to international law”.
“They must stop,” he said in a post on X.
The Taliban have reintroduced a strict interpretation of Sharia law, including public executions, floggings, and other corporal punishments, reminiscent of their rule in the late 1990s.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s justice system for its lack of transparency, due process, and fairness.