2 children beheaded by militants, Afghan authorities say

[happyslug]

16. You have my two theories.

First, the soldiers at the Check Point was afraid that the Taliban were using the people at the dump as a cover so they could move in closer to the check point, so any attack would be shorter, and thus quicker. So to prevent such a Taliban attack, the Guards themselves decided to take out the people at the dump. When the Soldiers made they move, everyone else ran away, but the guards caught these two boys and executed them, to teach all the other garbage pickers to stay away.

The second theory is less likely, but it could be the Taliban killed the boys for the Taliban is using the dump as their own supply point (i.e, using discarded US material just like the Viet Cong did in Vietnam).

A third possibility exists, even less likely, but still more then just possible. That third option is that the Guards are GIVING the supplies to the Taliban and using the Dump as a cover for the exchange (i.e. not only dump garbage but things the Taliban wants, discarded brass from fired ammunition along with live ammunition). In this scenario, the soldiers and the Taliban work together to capture and kill these boys.

I still think the first option is the best option. but the other twos are also good options. To actually find out we will have to have data from the Soldiers and/or the Taliban, but both sides have good reasons to keep quite on this killing at the present time.