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RETURN OF TERROR
Taliban’s sick boasts they’re ‘liberating’ Afghanistan as terror group brings back hangings, floggings and executions
THE shameless Taliban has claimed it will "liberate" Afghanistan as the nation faces a grave return to a plague of brutal hangings, floggings and executions.
The ruthless militants have already slaughtered dozens of civilians and vowed to crush gay men to death by pushing walls on them as they plot to reinstate their strict interpretation of Sharia law across war-torn Afghanistan.
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The terror group have seized a third of Afghanistan and show no sign of slowing down their blitz offensive.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militants plan to free Afghanistan from the "invasion of foreign countries" and enforce an extreme form of Sharia law derived from the Koran if the Islamic militants gain full control.
"An Islamic government should rule the country," he told The Sun Online from Kabul.
"The hands of the individuals who have come from foreign countries and have stolen the country's treasure should be cut off.
"Our aim is to liberate Afghanistan from the invasion of foreign countries and establish an independent and Islamic country rule by a righteous national figure to put an end to discrimination and theft of public treasure."
The Taliban launched its offensive across the country as the final US troops prepare to leave next month, laying siege to more than ten provincial capitals as it has advanced.
WARNING TO FOREIGN 'INVADERS'
"Most of the districts which have fallen to us have collapsed through fighting - they surrendered to us and we welcomed their move," Mujahid said.
"250 districts have come under our control in the past two months of which 61 were already controlled by us and the remaining have collapsed in the past two months."
In a chilling warning, Mujahid added: "If the forces of a country stay in Afghanistan, we see them as invaders and will not let them stay in Afghanistan.
"If any country act in contrary to our laws, we will not stay silent and not
spare any action for preventing such a situation.
"And we will force them to leave our country.
"We are trying to solve the issues through talks so no one get hurts.
"But if we fail to find a solution through talks, then our leaders will decide about our next actions and we will go ahead using other options."
TORTUROUS PUNISHMENTS
Jihadist judge Gul Rahim, 38, also offered an alarming insight into the future of the country if the Islamic militants gain full control.
Rahim told how he plans to reintroduce the torturous punishments for homosexuals and criminals across the entire country once American forces have fully withdrawn.
He told German newspaper Bild from his Taliban-controlled district in central Afghanistan: "That was our goal and always will be."
Women will even require permits to leave their homes if the Islamist group re-takes control and enforce their extreme brand of Sharia law, Rahim said.
When pressed about what punishments the Taliban determined to be fitting for gay men, Rahim explained the barbaric execution the terror group use.
"Either stoning or he has to stand behind a wall that falls on him. The wall must be 8ft to 10ft high," he said.
'TERROR BATTLEGROUND'
Security experts have grimly warned about the fate that awaits the Afghan people as the state risks descending into a "terror battleground" as the US withdraws its troops.
Professor Anthony Glees, from the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham, said the Taliban are now "back with a vengeance".
He told The Sun Online: "The point is that the Taliban are fanatics, the worst kind of enemy, they are, in their terms, not just extremely brave because they love death like all Islamists, but are fighting for a belief, a religion - the word Taliban means 'religious student' - not just political control.
"They will, once they have full control, return to type and do all the things they did before, persecute, torture and murder all who oppose them; enslave and degrade their fellow female citizens, prevent them from gaining an education, destroy anything that conflicts with their religious world view."
Taliban forces are reported to have hanged children as young as 12 after accusing them of spying, and also burned people alive using gas stoves during their insurgency since the US invasion.
We’ve seen nothing from the Taliban that suggests their attitude towards human rights has changed.
Samira Hamidi
Graphic videos have also emerged showing Taliban militants stoning people in front of crowds of hundreds as they stand next to shallow graves before being shot.
Other clips which have emerged over the years have shown them shooting groups of men after declaring them "enemies of Islam".
And one horrifying video features a woman being shot nine times as she was accused of adultery, one of the Taliban's so-called "moral crimes".
Samira Hamidi, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International, told The Sun Online: "We’ve seen nothing from the Taliban that suggests their attitude towards human rights has changed.
"With peace talks faltering and preparations for the full withdrawal of international forces gathering pace, Afghanistan sits at a dangerous crossroads.
"A full return to power would risk the reversal of twenty years of progress on women's rights, minority rights, freedom of expression and freedom of the media."
CIVIL WAR FEARS
And US General Scott Miller has warned the country is on the verge of "civil war".
"That should be a concern to the world," General Miller said.
Afghans in Kabul are living in fear of an all-out bloody civil war as factories and construction firms grind to a halt amid fears of bombings and the collapse of buildings.
A recent US intelligence report warned they could take the capital within six months with experts fearing the government could be overthrown by the end of the year.
Fighting has exhausted Afghan forces, seeing troops complain they are outnumbered, outgunned, under-paid and weary from 20 years of fighting.
Refugees have already fled to the borders to escape as the brutal terror group sweeps across the country.
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Massoumah Sadat, a university student, told The Sun Online: "This situation is so worrying for the people of Afghanistan, day by day it’s getting bad.
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"If the world community UN and EU fulfil their commitments, the Taliban can’t capture all territory of Afghanistan, but if the current situation is not controlled by the government, I think the Taliban will soon take over all parts of Afghanistan including Kabul.
"While we were children the Taliban was in Afghanistan, and when we become young we are witness of bad memories from the Taliban, and now we hear from the media that several districts fallen down to the Taliban, it’s really shocking for us."
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Dozens of civilians dragged out of their homes and executed by Taliban as terror group rampages through Kandahar
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