|
|
Afghan rebels seize capital, hang former president
September 27, 1996
Web posted at: 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT)KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghanistan's Taliban militia seized control of Kabul Friday soon after government forces abandoned the shattered Afghan capital. In its first action, the Islamic militant group hanged former President Najibullah and his brother from a tower.
One of the Taliban militia's top leaders in Kabul, Mullah Mohammad Rabbani, said Najibullah deserved his fate.
"He killed so many Islamic people and was against Islam and his crimes were so obvious that it had to happen. He was a communist," Rabbani told a news conference in the presidential palace.
All key government installations appeared to be in Taliban's hands within hours, including the presidential palace and the ministries of defense, security and foreign affairs. No government forces were visible on the city's streets.
The Taliban takeover marks the third time in four years a faction has seized power. The action followed two days of fighting on the eastern edge of the capital that left hundreds dead, Red Cross officials said.
Rebels kill 'murderer of our people'
Crowds of Afghans cheered at the sight of Najibullah's beaten and bloated body hanging outside the presidential palace. The war-weary residents were apparently hopeful that Friday's takeover would end factional fighting. Najibullah's communist regime was overthrown in 1992.
"We killed him because he was the murderer of our people," Noor Hakmal, a Taliban commander, said.
Dangling next to Najibullah was his brother, former security chief Shahpur Ahmedzi.
The Taliban, which began as a movement of former Islamic seminary students, now controls two-thirds of the country. The rebels want to impose their strict version Islamic rule in Afghanistan -- which includes keeping women mostly in the home, closing girls' schools and imposing harsh criminal punishments.
The executions capped the victory of Taliban rebels, who have fought to oust the regime of Najibullah's successor, President Burhanuddin Rabbani (no relation to the Taliban leader).
The whereabouts of Rabbani and his top commander, Ahmed Shah Masood, were not known. However, Afghan diplomats loyal to the Rabbani government told CNN that the government was relocating at the airbase at Baghram, just north of Kabul, and will mount a counteroffensive as soon as possible to recapture the city.
Establishment of Islamic rule
Most government troops and many fearful residents fled the city overnight as rebel troops advanced. Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister, Adbul Rahim Ghafoorzai said at the United Nations in New York on Thursday that the forces retreated to prevent civilian bloodshed.
Just hours after the takeover, Taliban announced that an interim six-man ruling council would run the country and declared Afghanistan a "completely Islamic state" where a "complete Islamic system will be enforced."
Najibullah's execution closes a chapter that began with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Najibullah was a former security chief who came to power in 1986, replacing the Soviet-installed Babrak Karmal, whose regime sparked an Islamic resistance movement.
During Najibullah's six-year dictatorship, thousands of Afghans were arrested, tortured and killed. After the withdrawal of Soviet forces in 1989, Najibullah was left on his own to defend the capital and eastern Afghanistan from Muslim rebels. He was forced to resign in 1992 and lived since then in a U.N. compound.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser windowExternal sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Tell us what you think!
You said it...
© 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.