Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Taliban captures and executes Afghan TikTok comedian - who carried on telling jokes about the militia even as they dragged him away

 


This is the moment an Afghan comedian continued mocking the Taliban as fighters from the insurgent group dragged him away from his home before later executing him by firing squad.

In a viral video filmed at the end of July, Nazar Mohammad, better known as Khasha Zwan, can be seen in the back of a car with an insurgent on either side of him - one of them brandishing a Kalashnikov machine gun.  

According to Human Rights Watch, Zwan was killed by the Taliban at the end of July in Kandahar after that city fell to the jihadists.  

He was known for routines that poked fun at the Taliban through song and dance, including some that were uploaded to his TikTok account. 

In the video of his final moments, Mohammad continues to make jokes about the group after his capture, causing the Taliban fighter to his right to begin slapping him across the face.

The man to his left is seen laughing throughout before menacingly switching his gun for an even bigger-looking firearm. 

Nazar was later killed after being shot multiple times. 

According to reports, photos showed him backed up against a tree and then lying on the ground with his throat cut.

The Taliban initially denied involvement in the star's death before admitting responsibility - and confirming the two men in the car were Taliban. 

The group said the suspects had been arrested and will be tried in a Taliban court. 

The group alleged that Nazar, from the Kandahar province, was involved in the torture and killing of Taliban - adding that he should have faced a Taliban court instead of being immediately put to death. 

Nazar previously worked for the Afghan National Police - making him a target for revenge killings - and was known for his crude jokes and funny songs. 

He would regularly make fun of topics suggested by his followers - with the Taliban being no exception. 

His brutal killing at the end of July sparked fears of revenge killings as Afghanistan being falling city by city to the Taliban. 

Zwan left behind a wife and daughters. 

After his death, Ziauddin Yousafzai, whose daughter Malala Yousafzai survived being shot in the head by Taliban militants in Pakistan in 2012 - was among those who paid tribute on social media.   

Others who denounced the death included Sarwar Danesh, the Afghan vice president before the Taliban took over Kabul this month.

He said that slapping Zwan was the same as slapping all of the Afghan people and said his killing was against Afghan culture.

It was also one of the first major dents in the insurgent group's attempt to brand itself as Taliban 2.0.

Leaders promised that no harm would come to those working for the Government, the US military or anyone associated with American organisations. 

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