Taliban behead four Afghans accused of being US spies

The beheaded corpses of the men were found Thursday in Shajoy district of insurgency-hit Zabul province where the rebels launch almost daily attacks on US troops and government targets, the official said.

The men were kidnapped from their homes Tuesday, local administration spokesman Gulab Shah Alikhil said. Two were found in one village and two in another.

Purported Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP via satellite telephone that the movement had killed the men because they were spying "for the US military and (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai's government."