AFGHANISTAN:The Taliban's use of a young boy to behead a man drew international criticism yesterday, with Unicef condemning the incident as "a terrible example of how children can be used by adults to commit heinous crimes in times of conflict".
In the videotape of the beheading, the boy, who appears no older than 12, is seen standing over a blindfolded man, brandishing a long knife. Wearing a combat jacket, oversized sneakers and a white headband, he denounces the man in a high-pitched voice. "He is an American spy. This is his fate," he says.
The baby-faced executioner kneels over the man and starts to slide the knife across his throat. Blood spurts and the cries of "Allahu Akbar" or "God is great" ring out. Then the boy triumphantly holds the severed head aloft.
Unicef noted that the use of children under 15 years of age during a conflict is a war crime under international law.
The videotape identified the executed man as Ghulam Nabi, a Pakistani militant accused of betraying Mullah Akhtar Osmani, a Taliban commander killed by a Nato air strike last December. Nabi's father, Ghulam Sahki, confirmed that his son was a committed Taliban fighter.
Such executions never involve a child, not even in Iraq. Sam Zarifi of Human Rights Watch said the Taliban must live up to claims it respects basic rules of war.
"This is truly shocking, without cultural context or historical precedent," he said. "The Taliban must condemn this act and make sure it never happens again."