Pak Taliban publicly execute two alleged US spies

A local journalist who witnessed the execution said on phone that thousands of people gathered beside a river to witness the execution of Zia-ur-Rehman and Jan Wali, both Afghan refugees.

The Taliban8217;s Jaish-e-Islami Islamic Army group claimed the men had 8216;confessed8217; to espionage during their interrogation. Jaish-e-Islami chief Ali Rehman ordered the execution.

Tribesmen fired shots in the air to celebrate the execution, witnesses said. Some persons were also injured in the aerial firing, they added.

The Taliban also publicly announced that the men had provided information to US forces in Afghanistan that prompted the May 14 airstrike on a suspected Taliban compound.

At least 12 people were killed in a missile strike carried out by a drone on Damadola, a small village 20 km northeast of Khar, a major town in Bajaur Agency, on May 14.