- The Washington Times - Monday, January 6, 2014

An 8-year-old girl wearing a suicide vest has been detained in southern Afghanistan, officials said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said an Afghan soldier spotted the girl wearing the suicide jacket and she was arrested before she could carry out the attack on border police, BBC reported.

The girl was held on Sunday night in Helmand province. She is believed to be as young as 8, though some news outlets reported her to be 10, and she is thought to be the sister of a prominent Taliban commander, BBC said.

Police said she was encouraged to carry out the attack by her brother.

The girl is said to be in a state of shock and has been transferred to the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, BBC reported.

• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.

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