AFGHANISTAN: Bullets for Bacha

Last week Habibullah Khan, ex-king of Afghanistan, né Bacha Sakao, the Water Boy bandit, was captured by victorious King Nadir, imprisoned in Kabul. Though Royal Nadir has on occasion fried Afghan generals in oil (TIME, Sept. 2), no such fate awaited Habibullah. He was taken out and humanely shot. Afghans attributed this softness to Nadir’s years on the French Riviera.