The Taliban are not usually known for their sense of humour, but when it comes to the troubles of their enemies it seems they can see the lighter side.
A spokesman for the Islamic fundamentalist group this week mocked David Petraeus' extra-marital affair which led to his resignation as director of the CIA, describing the former general as a 'bastard'.
He added that Petraeus would have been executed for his adultery under a Taliban regime, and blamed America's 'free sex society' for his infidelity.

A Taliban official showed unusual levity when asked about the affair Agence France-Presse, bursting out laughing during an interview in Pakistan.

'What a bastard!', the official said. 'But all Americans are the same, it's nothing new.'

While Petraeus lost his job over the ongoing scandal, which has also roped in his successor in Afghanistan, General John Allen, the consequences could have been much worse if he lived under a regime controlled by the Taliban.

The anonymous official pointed out that adultery is a capital offence under the laws of the Pashtun people as well as under Islamic sharia law.

'From a Pashtun point of view, Petraeus should be shot by relatives from his mistress' family,' he said.

'From a sharia point of view, he should be stoned to death.'