Pregnant Widow Accused Of Adultry Is Executed By Taliban

click to read original story from CNN

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The Taliban has executed a pregnant widow accused of adultery in western Afghanistan, provincial and district officials said Monday.

The 47-year-old woman, Sanam Gul, also known as Sanam Bibi, was killed in Badghis province Saturday morning, said Ashrafuddin Majidi, the provincial governor's spokesman.

The district governor of Qades, Hashim Habibi, confirmed the execution. He said the woman was accused of adultery that left her pregnant. The Taliban shadow district governor, Mullah Abdul Hakim, and his judge ordered the woman to be executed, he said.

Mohammad Yousuf, a Taliban commander, carried out the execution, shooting the woman in her head, Habibi said.

The International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan condemned the killing. "This tragic gruesome brutality is an example of Taliban justice," said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, director of the ISAF Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center. "This is not what the people of Afghanistan want -- they want peace and freedom and that's what we're going to help provide."

The statement from the ISAF cited reports that the widow was whipped 200 times before she was shot.