Taliban attack in Afghanistan kills 23 policemen

May 21, 2014 10:49 am | Updated November 16, 2021 06:46 pm IST - KABUL

At least 23 police officers were killed and 12 police and civilians injured in separate Taliban attacks in Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday.

In the eastern province of Nangarhar, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a Hesarak district building, killing two policemen and wounding nine people, the provincial Governor’s spokesman said.

“The district governor is among the injured,” Ahmad Zia Abdul Zai said, adding that most of the injured were civilians.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the district Governor was also killed.

In the neighbouring province of Laghman, the rebels attacked two police posts overnight, killing seven officers.

“The insurgents attacked the posts in the provincial capital, Mehtarlam and Alingar district,” said Jamiyatullah Hamidi, deputy provincial Governor.

“Five policemen were killed in Mehtarlam and two died in Alingar district.”

Elsewhere, six police were killed when several Taliban militants attacked police outposts in a remote district in the north-eastern province of Badakhshan.

“The insurgents attacked police checkpoints from several directions in Yomgan district early Tuesday. They destroyed a mobile phone tower to cut contact between the district and provincial capital,” said Abdul Qadir Sayyad, a police official.

“We could not send reinforcements to the area due to a lack of communication and bad weather conditions.” The Taliban said they had captured the district and raised their flag in the area.

Naveed Ferootan, spokesman for the Governor of Badakhshan province, said the attack was “heavier” than previous ones, describing the centre of the district as a “battlefield.” “Our forces tactically pulled back and are fighting from the mountaintops,” he said.

He said there were no figures for casualties because communication with the area had been cut.

A police officer, who requested anonymity said at least six police were killed.

In the southern province of Zabul, eight police were found dead two weeks after they were abducted by the Taliban, the deputy provincial Governor said.

“These policemen were kidnapped by the Taliban two weeks back in Naw Bahar district. We found their bodies this morning at the outskirts of the district,” said Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar.

“They were brutally shot in the head and chest.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.