Taliban executes boy, 7, accused of spying as suicide bomber kills 40 children at wedding
By Mail Foreign Service
10th June 2010
Taliban militants have executed a seven-year-old boy they accused of being a spy, it emerged today.
The child was abducted from his home and taken to a neighbouring village where he was put on trial.
His captors found him guilty of working for the government.
The child was then hanged in public in the village of Heratiyan, in the southern Sangin district of Helmand province.
Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai condemned the act as a 'crime against humanity' if proved and said officials were investigating.
'I don't think there's a crime bigger than that that even the most inhuman forces on earth can commit,' he said.
'A seven-year-old boy cannot be a spy. A seven-year-old boy cannot be anything but a seven-year-old boy, and therefore hanging or shooting to kill a seven-year-old boy... is a crime against humanity.'
The execution came as 40 people - mainly children and teenagers - were killed when a suicide bomber targeted a wedding.
Another 77 were injured after the blast ripped through the party in Kandahar.
The bombing happened at around 9pm yesterday in a housing compound where men had gathered during the festivities.
Witnesses said the family that was attacked included a number of Afghan police officers.
The groom's brother and two of his cousins were in the police force, according to another cousin, Mohammad Alkozay.
The groom survived the attack, but was injured. His bride also survived.
Agha Mohammed, who survived the blast, said the guests were all seated and having a meal when the explosion happened, sending a huge fireball and smoke into the sky.
Female guests were at a different house that was not hit, one witness said.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi denied the group carried out the attack.
US military spokesman Wayne Shanks said the deaths were not the result of an airstrike, and said any suggestion otherwise was 'Taliban misinformation'.
Nato said in a statement that no service members from the alliance were involved in the incident.
The latest bombing happened in Nadahan village in the Argandab district of Kandahar province, considered the spiritual home of the Taliban, It is the focus of a forthcoming US military operation.
The latest outbreak of violence came as David Cameron arrived in Afghanistan for his first visit to the country since taking office.
The Prime Minister was holding talks with President Hamid Karzai in the capital, Kabul.
Since assuming the premiership a month ago, Mr Cameron has been determined to stress that the country - where 10,000 British troops are engaged in fighting the Taliban - is his number one foreign policy priority.
Mr Cameron has already met Mr Karzai once, at his country residence, Chequers, as well as speaking to him by telephone.
He also despatched a high-level ministerial delegation - comprising Foreign Secretary William Hague, Defence Secretary Liam Fox and International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell - to assess the situation for themselves.
Mr Cameron's visit was being seen in Whitehall as rounding off a period of assessment and taking stock.
Speaking alongside Mr Karzai at his presidential palace, Mr Cameron announced an additional £67 million for the UK military force in Afghanistan to counter the threat from home-made bombs.
The number of British teams dealing with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) will be doubled, said the Prime Minister.
He also announced additional aid funding for Afghanistan to build up its army, police and civil service capacity in what he said was 'the vital year' to make progress in stabilising the country.
Describing relations between the two countries as 'very, very important', Mr Cameron said he regarded Afghanistan as Britain's most important foreign policy and national security issue.
Mr Cameron said: 'My biggest duty as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is to our armed forces, to make sure that they have all the equipment and all the protection they need to do the absolutely vital job that they are doing here in Afghanistan.
'I'm pleased to announce today that we will be spending an extra £67 million on countering the IED threat and actually doubling the number of British teams that are there to counter the threat from these explosive devices.
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