Seventeen Villagers Beheaded In Southern Afghanistan After 'music Part

August 27, 2012

[b][i]Updated at 11:25 a.m. ET:[/i][/b] KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused the Taliban on Monday of beheading 17 villagers, including two women, in volatile Helmand province, in a gruesome attack recalling the dark days of the hardline group's rule before their 2001 ouster.

He ordered a full investigation into the "mass killing," which a [url="http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/27/13499316-seventeen-villagers-beheaded-in-southern-afghanistan-after-music-party?lite#"]local[/url] official said was punishment to revelers attending a party with music and mixed-sex dancing.

"This attack shows that there are irresponsible members among the Taliban," Karzai said in a statement. In a separate incident, a rogue Afghan soldier killed two American troops in eastern Laghman, the NATO-led coalition said; 10 Afghan army soldiers were also killed in an attack on a checkpoint in Helmand, the Afghan government said. The Taliban denied they had taken part in the beheadings, which Karzai's office said took place in Kajaki district in the southern province.