Three police officers were killed and four others injured yesterday in a roadside bomb blast in the eastern province of Paktia, officials said.
A remote-controlled bomb exploded and destroyed their pick-up truck while the police were on patrol in Syed Karam District, Agha Gul Ahmadzai, the district’s chief, said.
The wounded, two of them in critical condition, were evacuated to the civil hospital in the provincial capital Gardez city, he added.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying at least six policemen were killed.
Taliban insurgents have stepped up attacks in recent months in southern and eastern Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Afghan and NATO forces killed at least 15 Taliban militants in an operation to retake control of a district the rebels captured three days ago, authorities said yesterday.
Afghan troops backed by NATO ground and air support launched an offensive on Wednesday in the remote Ajristan District in the troubled central province of Ghazni, the alliance and an Afghan official said.
“At least 15 Taliban have been killed and several others are wounded since yesterday [Wednesday],” local government spokesman Ismail Jahangir said.
Dozens of Taliban militants had captured the district, 200km southwest of Kabul, on Monday, killing one police officer as they stormed in.
“Joint operations began — with a coordinated air strike on insurgents — inside the village of Ajiristan. Several insurgents have been killed and wounded,” the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said.
The operation continued for a second day yesterday, with the troops able to recapture the district headquarters compound but still fighting for wider control, Jahangir said.
Ajiristan was also captured by Taliban insurgents in October last year and was retaken the following day when about 300 security forces moved into the small district center.
Taliban have captured several mainly remote districts in the past but have not been able to hold most of them for long
However, there are a handful of towns in southern Helmand Province that security forces admit are in rebel control.
The hardline Islamic Taliban were in government between 1996 and 2001 when they were driven out in a US-led invasion.
They are waging an insurgency that has gained pace in the past two years, claiming hundreds of lives including scores of civilians.
Top US military leaders were expected to recommend that hundreds of US troops could be sent to Afghanistan during the next month or so, a senior military official said.
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