Karzai Condemns Stoning Of Afghan Couple

Afghan President Hamid Karzai

Afghan President Hamid Karzai today condemned as an "unforgivable crime" the stoning to death of a young couple by the Taliban.

Local authorities said the Taliban killed the man and woman in a remote village in the northeastern province of Kunduz on August 15.

The 23-year-old woman and 28-year-old man were killed in public because, as local authorities said, "they had an affair."

A statement from Karzai's office said "the ruling to stone the two young Afghans by an illegal armed group without a fair trial runs contrary to all human and Islamic principles."

The statement said the president had ordered security officials to "put into use all possible resources" to bring the culprits to justice.

Amnesty International said it was the first stoning it could confirm in Afghanistan since the Taliban was overthrown by the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001.

compiled from agency reports