Afghan police killed at checkpoint
Two Afghan gunmen have killed a police commander and six of his men at a checkpoint in a remote district in the country’s south.
The police chief of volatile Kandahar district said that the two attackers were former policemen who had rejoined the force only two days previously. Gen. Abdul Razaq said they fled in a police vehicle with their dead comrades’ weapons after the attack in Arghistan.
Taliban insurgents have warned they would infiltrate Afghan security forces to conduct what the international military coalition calls “insider attacks.” There have been several such attacks in the past year, including officers poisoned while eating.
Meanwhile a roadside bomb under a bridge hit an Afghan politician’s convoy on a major highway north of Kabul, killing five people.
Obaidullah Ramin from northern Baghlan province said he does not believe he was intentionally targeted by the explosion. He said the main road leading north out of Kabul is often mined by Taliban insurgents to target official-looking convoys.
Roadside bombs are a favourite Taliban weapon to target government officials as well as the both Afghan and international military forces.
The insurgents have stepped up attacks in recent weeks, seeking to weaken the government and security forces as foreign troops pull back in preparation for the international coalition leaving next year.
