A 12-year-old boy was kidnapped and killed in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday, his severed head placed near his body to send a warning to police, said provincial governor spokesman Jawid Faisal.
The brother of the boy, neither of whom were named by officials, was a member of the Afghan Local Police (ALP), a U.S-trained militia charged with making Afghans in Taliban strongholds, like Kandahar, feel more secure, Faisal said.
"It's a Taliban warning to the ALP and to others who support the government," Faisal said of the killing, which happened in Kandahar's Panjwai district.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf denied the group was involved.
Separately, a 6-year-old girl was beheaded in eastern Kapisa province on Thursday, said provincial police chief Abdul Hamed.
"We are not sure if she was beheaded by her family or the Taliban, but we know the Taliban control the area," Hamed said of the killing in Jalukhil village. He added that he could not send investigators to the area out of fears for their safety.
The murders follow the shooting or beheading of 17 young revellers attending a party in southern Helmand province this week, which officials said was the work of the Taliban, a charge the group also denied.
That massacre raised fresh concerns about Taliban leaders' grip on their scattered fighters, amid on-again, off-again peace moves by the group with the Afghan government.
It also suggested that there are grassroots insurgent fighters who are not in a mood for compromise.
"What we're seeing could be a new tactic by the Taliban to behead civilians to intimidate the population," said Faisal.
In Kandahar's Zhari district, officials also said on Friday that a 16-year-old boy accused by the Taliban of spying for the government was beheaded and skinned in late July.
Such incidents highlight the difficulty that Taliban leaders have in enforcing discipline across an estimated 20,000 fighters spread from Afghanistan to Pakistan.
The central Taliban leadership is trying to improve the group's image in case it wants to push forward tentative reconciliation steps and perhaps even enter mainstream politics.
But some militant units are hard to control, roaming the countryside and attacking those deemed immoral.
NATO will withdraw most of its combat troops by the end of 2014, leaving Afghan forces in the lead security role.
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@Concerned: I have read the entire collection of history of east India from Nadir shah and I don't remember reading beheading by Brits despite their imperial attitude. In 1857, India came under the British crown and the British government of India was under British parliament's govt of India office.
In 1857, when the last of the Mughal heirs were captured, they were beheaded and their heads presented on a silver platter to King Bahadur Shah Zafar by the British commander. Nonetheless, such vileness is repulsive and it is unfortunate that there is no modicum of civility in war. Everything, culture, manners and honesty are lost in conflict.
It will be on IK and Gul as well .
@Syed: What would it take for the rightwing parties to wake up? How many more murders of innocent children and women have to happen before there is any outrage by the large rightwing parties? I guess never. Sorry to say but I have to agree with Syed that it were not "kafir", Jews or Christians but thousands of Muslims who have committed the crimes against the grand children of our prophet (PBUH). Despite those beheadings and murders there was not much outrage and Yazid continued to rule the Muslims. Taliban are just following Yazid's sunnah.
Height of cruelty, its about time for Allah to show his Jallal.
Coming events cast their shadow before. Strategic assets would make Afghanistan a Kabristan after coming to power.
Where is Imran Khan and Gen Hamid Gul. As per them Taliban are noble fighters who are chasing out invaders. Is this how noble fighters treat children? Shame on them and shame on all Taliban apologists, neo-Talibans who are pervasive in Pak media.
This beheading thing has been going on for 1400 years. Remember the son of maviya yazeed and his army not only beheaded the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh&p) but his 6 month baby Asghar as well. Imam Hussain (a.s.) had already burried his 6 month old baby boy but these yazeedi's searched the area and removed the body and beheaded the innocent son. These talibans are just following the tradition of their ancestors.