Taliban Executes 7-Year-Old on Suspicion of Spying, Reports Say

Taliban militants in Afghanistan executed a seven-year-old boy on suspicion of spying for the U.S.-allied government, according to local reports Wednesday.

The execution, which has not been confirmed by the extremist organization, was carried out in the southern Helmand province, government spokesman Daoud Ahmadi told The Times of India. The boy’s relatives brought the incident to the government’s attention, the newspaper said.

Ahmadi told Iranian news agency Press TV the act was “horrendous.” It was not immediately clear what information the boy was suspected of leaking. The area is mostly controlled by militants, The Times said.

Taliban fighters in the same province shot down a NATO helicopter Wednesday as it tried to evacuate a British casualty. Four U.S. soldiers were killed.

There are currently 142,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, by the Pentagon's count, including 94,000 U.S. troops, according to AFP.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said earlier this week that 17,000 to 18,000 troops ordered to Afghanistan by President Barack Obama as part of a 30,000 troop surge have arrived in the country.