Afghan boy hanged for having U.S. dollars

A 15-year-old boy was hanged from a tree on Sunday in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province for carrying U.S. money in his pocket, The Associated Press reported today.

District Police Chief Wali Mohammad said the brutal act was used as a warning to villagers not to use U.S. currency. Taliban militants placed five $1 bills in the boy’s mouth to serve as a reminder.

According to the article: “Dollars are commonly used in Afghanistan alongside the afghani, the local currency, although the U.S. currency is more commonly seen in larger cities where international organizations are found.”

In a related development, Chief Mohammad also reported that Taliban militants in Helmand shot and killed a man seeking farm assistance and seeds from an international aid program.

Due to the surge in violence, President Hamid Karzai has expressed willingness to meet personally with Taliban leader Mullah Omar and Hezb-i-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

However, representatives from the groups declared that no talks will take place until international troops leave Afghanistan.

“Karzai has, in fact, no authority in the presence of American troops. Talks would be a waste of time in such a situation,” Haroon Zarghun, a purported spokesman for Hezb-i-Islami, told The Associated Press by telephone. “If the United States announces to leave Afghanistan, then we will be ready to hold talks.”

Taliban allows Afghan polio team to enter southern provinces

The World Health Organization announced Sunday that medical teams have now been allowed to treat polio patients in areas such as Helmand and Kandahar provinces, Agence France Presse reported the same day.

These areas have seen some of the most severe violence of the Taliban insurgency.

Access to these areas has not been allowed for months, and this new development has been long-awaited by patients suffering from the crippling disease. Afghanistan is one of the few countries where polio still exists; there were 31 new cases reported last year.

The Afghan health workers, who are part of a WHO vaccination drive, successfully convinced Taliban leaders that their work was to benefit all children, non-Taliban and Taliban alike.

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Suicide bombing in Afghanistan’s Helmand province kills eight

Four policemen and four civilians were killed today in a suicide bombing at a police station in Helmand Province, Agence France Presse reported.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack and has since vowed to increase attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, which began on September 13.

The bombing trails a September 11 attack in Helmand that killed 29 people in one of the deadliest Taliban strikes since 2001.

Helmand, where illegal opium is widely cultivated, has seen the some of worst violence since 2001. According to the article, “The unrest has claimed more than 5,000 lives this year, according to an AFP count based on reports, with the violence focused in southern and eastern areas adjoining Pakistan. Nearly 4,000 of the dead are militants themselves.”

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