The Taliban conduct first execution in public since return

 The Taliban have carried first public execution since the group's return to power in Afghanistan last year.

A Taliban spokesperson said a man named Tajmir was killed at a crowded sports stadium in south-western Farah province after he confessed to murder.

Dozens of the group's leaders, including most top ministers in their government, attended the hanging.

It comes weeks after judges were instructed to fully enforce Sharia law.

The Taliban's supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada issued the edict last month, ordering judges to impose punishments, including public executions, public amputations and stoning.

However, the exact crimes and corresponding punishments have not been officially defined by the Taliban.

The militant Islamist group had promised to pursue a softer version of the harsh rule that characterised their previous stint in power, which came to an end in 2001.

But the execution, which the Taliban said took place on Wednesday, marks a return to the group's extremist interpretation of Sharia law.