An 85-year-old woman has reportedly been brutally murdered by Taliban militants in Afghanistan as punishment for supporting the country’s government.
The elderly woman was kidnapped by militants in Garamsir, Helmand province, local government officials said.
The Taliban reportedly accused her of working with the government, and cut her limbs off as punishment before killing her.
Murdered: The elderly woman was kidnapped by Talibans who accused her of working with the government. Pictured are two Taliban fighters in Wardak province, west of Kabu
It is thought that the Taliban held a kangaroo court after suspecting that the 85-year-old had helped the government in some way.
She was ‘charged with cooperating with the government and security institutions in Helmand’, Khaama Press reports.
A provincial governor’s spokesman named Omar Zwak confirmed that the murder had taken place as described, the website writes.
Helman is one of the most volatile areas of Afghanistan, and just last month an ‘erroneous’ airstrike by Afghan forces killed ten security forces in the province as the country’s military tried to oust Taliban fighters from a stronghold.
Brutal: The Taliban fighter reportedly and cut the 85-year-old’s limbs off as punishment before killing her (file photo)
The US, which is the only foreign force in Afghanistan carrying out airstrikes, has also increased the number of bombardments in the country since the start of the year.
In September, the US dropped 751 bombs and missiles on Taliban and Islamic State militants, up 50 percent from August and the highest since October 2010, according to US Air Forces Central Command data.
That takes the total number of bombs and missiles this year to 3,238, which is more than the previous two years combined.
The sharp increase follows US President Donald Trump’s open-ended strategy announcement in August that involves stepping up attacks on insurgents and deploying more American troops to the country, as well as more aircraft.
But civilians are paying a heavy price for the increased use of airstrikes which often miss their intended target.