Disturbing videos and photos circulating on social media show the Taliban torturing and killing people in Afghanistan as the extremist group has been seizing territories after international troops began withdrawing from the country in May 2021.

While both the US and the UN have warned the Taliban of international isolation and travel sanctions if the group unilaterally tries to seize power in Kabul, the Islamist group, with its leadership safely ensconced in neighbouring Pakistan, is in no mood to change from its 1996 version, reports said.

In one of the video clips on Twitter, several men are seen gathered around a man, picking up stones and repeatedly throwing them at him as he tries to save himself.

In another clip, a man is seen being beaten with sticks and stones and kicked by men. Yet another video was tweeted, which show the Taliban cutting the private parts of a man.

It was not possible to verify the authenticity of these videos or ascertain where they were shot, media reports said.

On Thursday, the Taliban said that they had killed a popular comedian. Nazar Mohammad, known as Khasha Zwan, was taken out of his home on July 22 and killed. The family of the comedian, who previously served in Kandahar Police, has blamed the Taliban for the attack.

Last week, viral videos showed Mohammad with his hands tied behind his back and sitting between two men in a car, being slapped repeatedly.

Earlier this month, reports said the Taliban has ordered women not to leave their home alone, set dowry regulations for girls and men to grow their beards, among other diktats.

According to reports, the Taliban has also issued a statement ordering local religious leaders to give them a list of girls over 15 years of age and widows under 45, reports said.

The Taliban, the reports said, has promised to get them married to its fighters.

In the past as well, the Taliban had enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic law, including public lashings, flogging and stoning. Women were required to cover their bodies and faces in a burqa and were barred from going to school or work or leaving the house without a male relative.