Australian Man Tortured and Killed by Taliban, Says Family

An Australian Citizen was tortured and killed by Taliban militants in Afghanistan. According to his family,  Sayed Habib Musawi, who also held an Afghan citizenship, was captured by the Taliban militants on Sept. 20 when he was going to the Ghazni province in southern Afghanistan to visit relatives, reports The Guardian.

Negations with Taliban to secure his release proved futile as his body was discovered on Tuesday. Police said that Musawi was shot three times and his body showed signs of torture.

Musawi grew up in Helmand Province in South Afghanistan. He came to  Australia in 2000 by boat and later acquired an Australian citizenship. He lived in Sydney with his family, whom he brought to Australia in 2005.

Musawi belonged to the Hazara community, which has often been victimized by the Taliban.

Ghazi's deputy governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi said  that the Taliban killed Musawi because he was an Australian citizen.

"Of course the reason is that he was an Afghan-Australian," he said.

"He didn't do anything besides that - he didn't do anything wrong, he wasn't a criminal, he wasn't involved in government activities.

"The reason of his murder was very clear - that he was a dual citizen, he came from a country that Taliban think is an infidel country," he added, reports abc.net.au.

Ahmadi also said that Musawi was tortured before being killed. Musawi's hands were tied and there were bruises on his body indicating a beating, Ahmadi said.

Musawi's son Nemat Musawi said that the family was in a state of shock..

"What can I say? We're just shocked," he said. 

"The whole family is devastated. We can't believe it. I just spoke to my dad a week-and-a-half ago and he was with family members and he said he was going to call me back.

"I was waiting for his call and then the next thing I hear he's been shot dead by Taliban three times," he said, reports abc.net.au