Taliban admit killing Afghan comedian Nazar Mohammad aka Khasha Zwan

A video of two men slapping and abusing Nazar Mohammad spread widely on social media—who was later killed, shot multiple times.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid acknowledged that the two men who surfaced in the video were Taliban.

However, the spokesman reiterated that the slain Nazar Mohammad Khasha was a member of the Afghan National Police and was allegedly implicated in the torture and killing of the Taliban.

He said the comic should have been arrested and brought before a Taliban court instead of being killed.

The latest killings have raised fears of the Taliban’s retaliation.

It also undermined the Taliban's assurances that those working for the government, the US military or US organizations would not be harmed.

The Taliban have reportedly detained hundreds of people in areas they have overrun. Schools have been set on fire and there have been reports of restrictions on women.

The Taliban's stance on the incident has changed repeatedly.

Sohail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha, initially denied the killing, but when the latest video surfaced, he said the incident should be investigated.

Nazar Mohammad was on his way to Kandahar for Eid when he was taken into custody from his home and shot several times.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi wrote on his Twitter account on July 7 that Khasha had been killed in an attack in Kandahar City.

During Nazar Mohammad's detention, a video emerged showing a gunman shouting at him, saying he was a militant and that he had been arrested. Nazar Muhammad's hands were also tied.

Khasha Zwan was not a TV personality but would post his routines on TikTok.

He was known for crude jokes, funny songs, poking fun at himself, and often making fun of topics thrown at him by fans.