http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071008/ap_on_re_as/afghanistansnip
The mass execution took place Sunday evening according to Afghan law, which calls for condemned prisoners to be shot to death, said Abdul Salam Ismat.
Afghanistan's hard-line Taliban regime carried out executions in public, many of them at the war-shattered Kabul stadium, but the practice stopped after they were ousted from power by the U.S.-led coalition in late 2001.
The killings are the country's first state-sanctioned executions since April 2004.
....
"He has been holding on to these cases because he wants to make sure that the justice is served and the due process is complete. He personally does not like executions, but Afghan law asks for it, and he will obey the laws," he said.
The mass executions are likely to complicate relationships between Afghanistan and some NATO countries with military forces in the country. International troops often take militants prisoner and later hand them over to the Afghan government, but some countries' governments will not let them do so if Afghanistan is known to use capital punishment.
The official announcement during the news hour Monday evening said Karzai ordered the executions following a decision by a special commission he had set up to review rulings by the Supreme Court.
"After all the discussions and after looking back over the cases ... in order to prevent future crimes, such as murders, armed robberies, kidnappings and to maintain the stability of the country, (Karzai) approved the prisoners' death sentences," a statement read over the news said.
Man, those Taliban cats were real bastards - thank God we helped overthrow 'em.
Uh, wait - they're still indulging in the same state-sponsored gore as before we went in?
Oh well. At least we got OSAMA BIN FRICKIN' LADEN! HA!
Uh, wait - we never found him in Afghanistan, did we?
(yes, I know the US still executes prisoners - this is half my point, so don't bring it up)