The boy screamed for his parents as the militants put a rope around his neck

From Andrew Bolt: We were told by the BBC to focus more on the humanity of the Taliban: A BBC presenter has attacked coverage of Afghanistan’s ongoing war, claiming TV reporters are not covering the ‘humanity of the Taliban’. Lyse Doucet, a presenter and correspondent on BBC World News, was speaking at a discussion of TV reporting of the war in the country… Asked what was missing in British coverage, she added: ‘It may sound odd but the humanity of the Taliban, because the Taliban are a wide, very diverse group of people.” So let’s try to spot the humanity here: THE Taliban’s execution of an eight-year-old accused of ‘’collaborating’’ with foreign forces has proved too much even for Afghans hardened by three decades of fighting. ‘’Islam does not permit anyone to sentence a minor to execution,’’ said Mawlawi Mehr Del, deputy head of the Muslim clerical council in Helmand. ‘’It is against Islam, against sharia. God may be extremely upset with them. Those who do something like this are neither jihadis nor Taliban, they are enemies of human life.’’ Islamic law prohibits the execution of anyone under 18. The Taliban’s own code of conduct, drawn up by the movement two years ago, stipulates that no commander may order the execution of minors. But a senior Taliban member, Mullah Abdul Bari, suggested that code of conduct did not apply in Helmand: ‘’The code has been changed for Helmand because the number of infidels there has increased, and the Taliban don’t have the time to hold trials.’’ ... Witnesses said the execution of the child, named Delawar, took place in a garden near his home in the village of Heratian in the Sangin district of Helmand. About a dozen men took part in the hanging death of the child, whom they accused of spying for British forces. Sangin resident Taza Gol, 60, said the boy screamed for his parents as the militants put a rope around his neck.

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