Caught in the middle of a Taliban love triangle: The moment helpless Afghan woman, 22, is gunned down 'because two fighters couldn't decide who could have her'

• Burqa-clad woman is shot dead in front of baying villagers 'after affair with Taliban commander'
• Shocking footage shows her being gunned down at close range
• Two Taliban men 'could not settle dispute over her', so accused woman of adultery 'to save face'
• International outcry at shooting which is branded 'cold-blooded murder'

By Sara Malm

Gunned down with an AK47 as baying villagers cheer in delight, this is the shocking moment a burqa-clad woman was executed in Afghanistan for her part in a Taliban love triangle.
The 22-year-old woman, said to have been married to a member of a hardline Taliban militant group, was shot dead after being accused of adultery with a Taliban commander.
Horrific pictures show a crowd of bearded men gather to watch a rifle-wielding gunman shoot her in the head and back during the execution in Qimchok village, in Afghanistan's Parwan province.

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A woman, named as 22-year-old Najiba is shown sitting at the edge of a ditch wearing a grey veil, in the right hand corner a man seem to be filming something out of frame

A man wearing white clothes and an orange beret appears pointing an AK47 rifle at her

The man opens fire at Najiba at point blank range as she is sitting with her back towards him

Amateur footage of the brutal killing shows the woman, known only as Najiba, slump to the floor, as dozens of men on a nearby hillside cheer, 'God is great!'

 

The unidentified shooter, who is seen wearing an orange pakol (the traditional Afghan hat), swiftly executes her - but continues to shoot her dead body whilst walking towards it.
Officials in Afghanistan said the killing came about due to a dispute between two Taliban members, who had argued over the woman.
Parwan province governor Abdul Basir Salangi told CNN that as both Taliban men 'had some kind of relationship with the woman', they instead opted to accuse her of adultery to 'save face'.

The man continues to fire the AK47 rifle at Najiba's dead body as she lies at the place of execution on the outskirts of a village in the Parwan province, north of Kabul

A large crowd of bearded men in traditional clothing had gathered in the Qol village to watch the execution of the 22-year-old woman

Possibly satisfied with his work the executor walks away from her dead body after she was killed as a punishment for alleged adultery

The harrowing images came from an undated video, although it is thought the Afghanistan execution took place some time in late June.
The video was handed over by a Qol villager to the Parwan provincial government, situated north of Kabul, their spokeswoman Roshna Khalid told AFP today.
It is understood that both Taliban commanders have subsequently been executed.
The video has been condemned by the Afghan government as un-Islamic and inhuman.
Public executions of alleged adulterers were common when the Taliban regime was in power.
They were in control of the country from 1996 until 2001, when they were ousted by a US-led invasion for harbouring Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks.

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