"I think it's the most dramatic confirmation of the medieval barbarism of the Taliban and its world view,"

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Video footage has emerged showing the 22-year-old being shot in front of a crowd of cheering men.

In the three-minute video, a man approaches the woman, who is kneeling in the dirt, and shoots her five times at close range with an automatic rifle to cheers of jubilation from the 150 or so people watching in a village.



Local officials say the woman was married to a senior member of a hardline Taliban militant group and was accused of adultery with another Taliban commander, either through a romantic relationship, or rape.

Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr says the execution shows Australia needs to continue to commit troops to the country.

"I think it's the most dramatic confirmation of the medieval barbarism of the Taliban and its world view," he said.

"It confirms the case for persisting with our support for decent Afghans who want a functioning sovereign nation and protection for the rights of women and girls.
"Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop says the video footage is horrifying.

"This execution is further proof that extremism remains a threat to Afghani society and to the world as we've seen in the past when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan," she said.

Parwan provincial governor Basir Salangi said a manhunt has been launched to track down and capture the men involved in the execution. "We have sent a police force to the area," he said.

"They are searching for the Taliban who are responsible but the Taliban, including the killer, have fled to the mountains."

The video emerged as international donors agreed to provide $16 billion in aid to Afghanistan over four years at a conference in Japan.
Senator Carr, who was among delegates from more than 70 countries and international organisations at the meeting, said Australia would contribute $1 billion in aid over four years.
He said the scale of the aid sent "a clear message that the world hasn't lost interest".

The aid aims at helping stabilise the country as it prepares for the withdrawal of most foreign troops in 2014.

Australia's $250 million annual commitment means it will become the sixth-largest donor to Afghanistan.



http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-09