Afghan Mullah Arrested Over Fatwa To Kill Woman For Adultery

KABUL -- Afghan police say they have arrested a village mullah after a woman was publicly executed in accordance to a fatwa issued by the religious authority in northwestern Badghis Province.

Provincial security chief Sharaffudin Sharaf told RFE/RL that Mullah Abdulghaffar was arrested on July 30 in the village of Kukchail.

Sharaf said the woman -- known only by her first name, Halima -- was shot dead by her relatives last month after Abdulghaffar issued a fatwa calling for her death.

The woman had allegedly committed adultery. Sharaf did not provide further details.

Islamic leaders enjoy vast influence in Afghanistan's deeply religious society but death-sentence fatwas are not common in the country.