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Taliban authorities hanged an Afghan man convicted of killing another man today, the first public execution since the former insurgents took control of Afghanistan last year, a spokesman said, AP quoted BTA as saying.

The news underscores the intentions of Afghanistan's new rulers to continue the hardline policies implemented since they took over the country in August 2021 and stick to their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

The execution was carried out in Afghanistan's western Farah province in front of hundreds of spectators and many senior Taliban officials, including from the capital Kabul, according to senior Taliban government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid.

"The decision to carry out the sentence was taken very carefully," Mujahid said after it was approved by three of the country's highest courts and Taliban supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Ahunzada.

The executed man, identified as Tajmir from Herat province, was convicted of killing a man five years ago and stealing his motorcycle and mobile phone and had confessed.

The victim has been identified as Mustafa from neighboring Farah province.

After seizing power in Afghanistan in 2021, in the final weeks of the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from the country after 20 years of war, the Taliban initially promised to be more moderate and respect the rights of women and minorities.

Instead, they curtailed rights and freedoms, including banning girls from studying beyond the sixth grade.

They also carried out public floggings in various provinces, punishing several men and women accused of theft, adultery, or running away from home.

The Taliban are bringing back amputations and stonings

The former rebels have faced difficulties in their transition from war to governance amid a declining economy and the international community's refusal to officially recognize them.