Taliban claim responsibility for Afghan comic’s death

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the killing of an Afghan comic but say the men responsible have been arrested and will face charges.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told The Associated Press that the two men seen on video brutally attacking Khasha Zwan, whose real name is Nazar Mohammad, are members of the militant group.

Mohammad, who would post comedic routines making fun of various topics on his TikTok account, was later shot and killed by the men, according to the AP. 

Mujahid alleged that Mohammad was also a member of the Afghan National Police and was involved in the killings of Taliban members but said the other two should have arrested him and brought him into court for trial.  

“The war — all 43 years of it — has a revenge-driven dynamic,” Human Rights Watch activist Patricia Gossman told the newswire. “Revenge for past wrongs, including terrible atrocities, committed by one side or the other has been a mobilizing factor for all the various armed forces.”

The Taliban are seizing more and more Afghan territory amid the pullout of U.S. and NATO troops ahead of a September deadline declared by President Biden.

More than 18,000 Afghans who worked with the U.S. military have applied for Special Immigration Visas to the United States amid fears of Taliban retaliation.