June 26, 2007
The story of a 6-year-old Afghan boy who says he thwarted an effort by Taliban militants to trick him into being a suicide bomber provoked tears and anger at a meeting of tribal leaders.Unable to use the lure of 72 virgins with a 6-year-old, the Taliban used a different deception. However, being somewhat street-smart, the boy instead went to some Afghan soldiers and asked for help.The account from Juma Gul, a dirt-caked child who collects scrap metal for money, left American soldiers dumb-founded that a youngster could be sent on such a mission. Afghan troops crowded around the boy to call him a hero.
Though the Taliban dismissed the story as propaganda, at a time when US and NATO forces are under increasing criticism over civilian casualties, both Afghan tribal elders and US military officers said they were convinced by his dramatic account.
Juma said that sometime last month Taliban fighters forced him to wear a vest they said would spray out flowers when he touched a button. He said they told him that when he saw American soldiers, "throw your body at them."
Posted by: Mike Pechar at
09:21 AM
| Comments (5)
| Add Comment
Post contains 210 words, total size 1 kb.
Posted by: Garduneh Mehr at June 26, 2007 10:48 AM (j97MF)
Posted by: sandpiper at June 26, 2007 10:54 AM (Dutrh)
Posted by: wooga at June 26, 2007 12:58 PM (t9sT5)
Posted by: greyrooster at June 26, 2007 08:30 PM (xFKOj)
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at June 27, 2007 02:26 PM (jQsc/)
34 queries taking 0.0998 seconds, 160 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.