Afghan Taliban Denies Role In Case Of 'Suicide Attack' Girl

Boys have sometimes been recruited as suicide bombers during the 12-year-old Afghan war, but female child suicide bombers are described as extremely rare in the conflict.

A Taliban spokesman has denied any involvement by the group in the case of a young girl who says her Taliban brother dressed her in an explosives-filled vest and told her to carry out a suicide attack against Afghan police.

Spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi denounced the story as "propaganda" from the Afghan government.

He said that under Taliban policy, suicide bombers should only be adult males who volunteer to carry out such attacks.

The girl, said to be about 10 years old, was detained by police on January 6 in the southern province of Helmand.

She has told investigators she refused to carry out the attack. Authorities say they are searching for her brother.

President Hamid Karzai said using children for suicide attacks is un-Islamic and against Afghan culture.

Based on reporting by AP and dpa