Taliban Kill Former Afghan Air Force Officer Despite Promised Amnesty - Source

KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2021) The Taliban (terrorist group, outlawed in Russia) have murdered a former Afghan air force officer despite previous claims to offer amnesty to all who worked for the ousted government, a source told Sputnik on Wednesday.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported about a group of Afghan pilots and their families who fled to Uzbekistan after the Taliban took over Kabul even though the movement promised amnesty to government officials and members of the military.

According to the source, officer Zalmay Achekzay was evicted and later killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan's western province of Herat.

The sources also said a boy and woman had been killed by the militants' shooting in the eastern province of Nangarhar. The Taliban have not confirmed this information, however, several militants were apprehended by the locals and handed over to the authorities. The provincial governor opened an investigation into the incident.

In early August, the Taliban stepped up their offensive against the Afghan government forces and entered the capital city of Kabul on August 15. The US military withdrawal from Afghanistan was completed on August 31, ending the nearly 20-year American military presence in the country.

On September 6, the Taliban announced that the last resisting province, Panjshir, had come under their control. Shortly after, the movement announced the composition of the new interim government of Afghanistan, led by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who has been on the UN sanctions list since 2001.