KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- An 8-year-old Afghan boy was seriously injured recently when he was told by a suspected Taliban insurgent to step on an improvised explosive device (IED), the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Thursday.

The incident happened on Monday in the Zhari District of Kandahar Province, according to a document released by the U.S. Army. It identified the victim as an 8-year-old boy who was in a field with his brother.

"Jalil was in a field picking grapes with his brother Mohammad Mukhtar when a Taliban insurgent asked him to step on an object," the document of the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division said. "The child unknowingly stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and caused it to detonate."

The young boy was subsequently taken to Combat Outpost Kolk where Jalil had an amputation of the right leg below the knee and a femur fracture. "A tourniquet was placed on his right calf and his lower right leg was dressed with an occlusive pressure bandage," the document said. "The child was medically evacuated by air to Kandahar Airfield (KAF) with his father as the escort."

According to the U.S. military, ISAF and Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers spoke with four male relatives who came with the child and his father to the combat outpost. "They explained the circumstances surrounding the incident and stated that they believe the Taliban were testing a prototype IED," the document continued. "All four individuals were outraged by the heinous acts committed by the Taliban and would like to speak out against the Taliban, their brutal tactics, and their disregard for the welfare of other Afghans."

Lt. Col. Web Wright, a spokesman for ISAF's Regional Command South, said Jalil is now in a stable condition. "His family is with him," he added.

The Taliban did not respond to requests for comment about their alleged involvement, but the militant group has previously denied they use or target children as part of their attacks. However, children often fall victim in Taliban attacks.

Last week, suspected members of the Taliban kidnapped an 8-year-old boy, whose name was not released, in the Greshk district of Helmand province. He was later hung after his father, a local police commander, did not surrender as the Taliban had demanded.

And on May 1, four civilians were killed and 12 others were injured when a 12-year-old suicide bomber blew himself up at a crowded market in eastern Afghanistan.

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