Kabul, April 16 -- Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who previously rejected the need for Western laws in Afghanistan, said executions were part of Islam. His remarks came days after four men were killed by gunfire in Afghanistan after they were convicted of murder. Rights groups and the UN condemned the killings.

In an audio clip released late last week by the Taliban's chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on X, Akhundzada said: "We must carry out disciplinary measures, perform prayers and acts of worship. We must enter Islam completely. Islam is not just limited to a few rituals; it is a comprehensive system of all divine commands."

Not a single command of Islam should be left unfulfilled, he told a seminar of Hajj instructors durin...