Taliban executions, beheadings in Afghanistan strike fear among those stuck inside country

Afghan citizens face executions, forced marriages and other possible war crimes as the Taliban sweeps across the country, wresting control from ineffective government forces as the U.S. troop withdrawal nears, according to U.S. officials and watchdog groups.

The U.S. embassy in Kabul said Wednesday that it was receiving reports that Taliban members were executing surrendering Afghan troops and unlawfully detaining some members of the government, including military leaders, provincial officials and police officers. The executions "could constitute war crimes," the embassy tweeted. A Taliban spokesman denied that the group was executing prisoners to the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, even as witness accounts contradicted that claim. The Taliban has also denied allegations that its militants have demanded conquered territories provide them with females aged 15 and older as brides.