A woman was shot dead by the Taliban for committing adultery, a government official in the western Afghan province of Ghor said on Monday. The woman, whose name was given as Zahra, and whose age and marital status was unknown, was killed late on Friday.

"She was captured with Ayub [one name only], was shot and killed while Ayub fleed," said Abdul Hai Khatibi, a spokesman for the governor of Ghor province.  Ayub was shot while fleeing and is in Taliban captivity.


Khatibi said the area has been under Taliban control for more than a year. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission says Ghor is among the provinces with the highest number of such Taliban "desert courts" where they mete out their brand of justice.