The family of Afghan opposition figure Abdul Haq confirmed this evening that he and a companion were hanged by the Taliban today.
The Taliban said it had executed the senior commander after capturing him trying to reach Northern Alliance positions.
Abdul Haq, a guerrilla hero, was detained in Afghanistan today by the Taliban. He was captured as he tried to flee on horseback under cover of US air strikes.
Mr Haq is a former Kabul area commander from Afghanistan's 1980s war against the Soviet invasion.
He parted company with the Taliban during its 1992-1996 rule when infighting destroyed much of Kabul and killed an estimated 50,000 people.
Many of Mr Haq's former colleagues are now part of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance opposition.
Mr Haq had been living in the United Arab Emirates and working to build coalitions capable of taking power and restoring peace to Afghanistan.
According to the news agency, the Taliban said he had recently re-entered Afghanistan to join the opposition against them.
The Taliban claimed the capture showed that despite the US atttacks, their support has not crumbled and people in the more than 90 per cent of Afghanistan they control have not turned against them.
AFP