index

Confirmed: Taliban executed 22 Afghan commandos at once

GEAR CHECK: Our readers don't just follow the news - they stay ready. Featured gear from this story is below.

Dylan Lassiter

The Taliban executed 22 Afghan commandos en masse on June 16 in the northern province of Faryab. Both the Red Cross and the Afghan Ministry of Defense confirmed the accuracy of the count to CNN this week.

The Taliban executed 22 Afghan commandos en masse on June 16 in the northern province of Faryab.The Taliban executed 22 Afghan commandos en masse on June 16 in the northern province of Faryab. Both the Red Cross and the Afghan Ministry of Defense confirmed the accuracy of the count to CNN this week.

In mid-June, the Afghan Special Forces Unit became tangled with members of the Taliban in the district of Dawlat Abad. The commandos planned for backup by establishing a direct line for air support, which they never received.

Once the Taliban encircled them, the unit quickly ran out of ammunition and conceded. No options left, the commandos walked out to surrender face-to-face.

Almost immediately after the unit showed their hands, the Taliban forces butchered them all.

The Video

In the video footage of the event, the commandos carefully step into view with their hands raised and no weapons in sight. The Taliban are heard telling the group to surrender, right before slaying them and leaving their bodies strewn across the sand.

At the end of the footage, a voice off-camera says: ā€œTake everything off them.ā€ And in a separate video, another man is heard telling someone: ā€œOpen his body armor.ā€

It is obvious that the commandos’ bodies were pillaged for gear. This is completely in character for the Taliban, given the seizures that trail behind the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

A Taliban spokesperson denied the video’s authenticity. They claimed that, ā€œThe report is from a fake scene combined with footage from another where 22 commandos were killed during clashes while carrying out an operation in Faryab province.ā€

Afghan Ministry of Defence spokesperson Fawad Aman dismissed the spokesperson’s claims.

In a statement to CNN, Aman said, ā€œThe Taliban cannot deny this crime. The video clearly shows the Taliban executing our soldiers after surrender.ā€

You may also like

Blog

Two people were arrested after a large stone-throwing brawl involving reckless driving and an electric chainsaw broke out near a construction site in Ofakim, police said.
An 18-year-old suspect fatally shot eight people, including family members and six victims at a British Columbia secondary school, before dying by suicide, authorities said.
A retired Navy veteran with terminal cancer was granted his wish to see The Eagles perform in Las Vegas after his son’s outreach prompted support from the band and the Bellagio.
Two Paris surgeons were charged and suspended after a 65-year-old businessman died of a heart attack during a penis enlargement procedure in 2019.
Federal investigators are examining mechanical, human and environmental factors to determine what caused an Arizona DPS helicopter to crash during a Flagstaff shootout, killing two crew members.

Like This Story? Check Out What Our Community Is Buying

Our best sellers are designed for real-world use - not hype.

View Best Sellers