22 Afghan Commandos Executed By Taliban Fighters As They Try To Surrender

"Surrender, commandos, surrender," these words ring out over clear but unsteady video. Many men emerge from a building; unarmed. Gunfire erupts & at least a dozen men are seen shot to death amid cries of "Allahu Akhbar", God is the Greatest, reported CNN.

The victims were members of an Afghan Special Forces unit & their executioners, the Taliban. The killings took place on June 16 in the town of Dawlat Abad in Faryab province, close to Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan, reported CNN. Visuals show the commandos' bodies strewn across an outdoor market. After a fierce battle to hold the town, the commandos had run out of ammunition and were surrounded by the Taliban fighters, witnesses told CNN. The Red Cross confirmed the bodies of 22 commandos were retrieved, reported CNN. The Taliban told CNN the videos showing the commandos being shot were fake and government propaganda to encourage people not to surrender. A Taliban spokesperson said they were still holding 24 commandos who had been captured in Faryab province but provided no evidence. The Afghan Ministry of Defense denied the Taliban was holding the commandos and told CNN they were killed. Watch the video to know more.