Afghan Rebels Kill Dozens of Police

The Taliban in Afghanistan has carried out a series of attacks, killing dozens of police officers over just a few days. At least 23 policemen were killed, and 12 officers and bystanders were injured.

Nine of the injured were victims of a suicide bomber in the eastern province of Nangarhar. That explosion occurred in a Hesarak district building. Afghan authorities say the district governor was injured in the attack, while the Taliban claim the official was killed.

Two police outposts in the neighboring province of Laghman were attacked in one night, resulting in the deaths of seven officers.

Three children were also killed in by a rocket attack in the Shawol area of the Nad Ali district of Helmand.

In the district of Yomgan, militants attacked checkpoints from several directions. They simultaneously destroyed a mobile phone tower, cutting communications between polices forces and their command center.

Abdul Qadir Sayyad, a, Afghanistani police official, said, “We could not send reinforcements to the area due to a lack of communication and bad weather conditions.”

Villagers in Zabul recently discovered the bodies of eight policemen missing for two weeks. Seven of the officers were local, while one worked for national security forces. The bodies had been decapitated.

Taliban leaders have vowed to step up attacks on police and military forces in the nation, as part of an annual spring offensive.

During the recent attacks, 16 policemen were killed in just 24 hours. Officials for the government in Badakhshan province describe the assault as being like a battlefield. They report security forces made a tactical retreat to the mountaintops.