Saturday, February 6, 2010

Taliban Floggings Continue

ISLAMABAD, Feb 5: Taliban flog two men and a teenage boy in a video that has emerged from the Orakzai Agency, showing the hold of militants in the area despite army offensives and intensified US missile strikes.

The video was shot on a mobile phone on Feb 3 and passed to a local journalist.

A tribal elder who provided the clip said it was taken in Mamozai area and requested anonymity out of fear for his life.

Using a piece of rope or leather, a militant repeatedly strikes a man who wears trousers but no shirt, and who looks to be covered in dirt or soot.

The man at times has to be restrained. He falls to the ground repeatedly, but is hauled back up during the beating.

The tribal elder said the man was being punished for allegedly “working against the Taliban” by speaking out against them.

The second victim appears to be a teenage boy who the elder said was being blamed for not growing a beard. The third victim was said to be punished for not praying.A crowd of men and boys watched the beatings, mostly in silence.

As the audience rise to leave, a man announces that an “old man with white beard” is to be detained for five days and “if he improves” during his detention the militants would take another look at his case. His crime was not announced.

The tribal elder identified the militant doing the beating as Mullah Toofan, believed to be a local Taliban commander.—AP

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