Amnesty says Taliban killed nine minority men

BERLIN: Amnesty International says the Taliban were responsible for the torture and killing of several members of Afghanistan’s Hazara ethnic minority last month.

The rights group said Friday that its researchers in Afghanistan spoke to eyewitnesses in Ghazni province who recounted how the Taliban killed nine men in the village of Mundarakht on July 4-6. It said six of the men were shot and three were tortured to death.

The head of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, said the brutality of the killings was “a reminder of the Taliban’s past record, and a horrifying indicator of what Taliban rule may bring.”

The rights group warned that many more killings may be occurring but are so far unreported, because the Taliban have cut cellphone services in many of the areas they’ve captured to prevent images from being published.

Separately, the group Reporters without Borders expressed alarm at the news that Taliban fighters have killed the family member of an Afghan journalist working for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

“Sadly this confirms our worst fears,” said Katja Gloger of the group’s German section. “The brutal action of the Taliban show that the lives of independent media workers in Afghanistan are in acute danger.”