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Taleban militants slam Daesh execution video

The Taleban have condemned a "horrific" video that appears to show fighters from Daesh group blowing up bound and blindfolded Afghan prisoners with explosives, spotlighting the growing rivalry between the militant networks.
"A horrific video... (shows) kidnappers who associate themselves with Daesh brutally martyring several white-bearded tribal elders and villagers with explosives," the Taleban said in a statement on Tuesday.
The video, more than four minutes long, appeared on social media forums on Sunday and contained commentary in Arabic and Pashto. Apparently shot in Afghanistan's restive east against the backdrop of hilly grasslands enveloped with fog, it describes the prisoners as "apostates" aligned with the Taleban or the Afghan government.
But the Taleban described them as "innocent civilians". "This un-Islamic act... can never be justified," their statement said.
"This offence and other such brutal actions by a few irresponsible ignorant individuals under the guise of Islam and Muslims are intolerable."
The Taleban are blamed for the vast majority of civilian casualties in Afghanistan as the country battles a growing wave of insurgent attacks following the announcement of the death of longtime Taleban leader Mullah Omar.
Even before news of his death the group suffered a string of defections to Daesh, with some insurgents voicing disaffection with the man described as a "ghost leader" - he had not been seen in public since the Taleban were toppled from power in 2001.
The announcement of Omar's death, observers say, could be a very effective recruitment tool for Daesh, potentially helping it lure more Taleban turncoats in a region where it is still struggling to gain ground.
The Taleban warned Daesh recently against expanding in the region, but this has not stopped some fighters swearing allegiance to Daesh chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. - AFP

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