Police killed in Afghan checkpoint attack

KANDAHAR: Insurgents attacked an Afghan checkpoint overnight, killing two police officers and abducting five others in the southwest of the country, officials said Monday.

The attack happened in Nimroz province late Sunday and appears to be linked to rogue police officers involved with the Taliban, officials said.

"Armed insurgents attacked a police post in Khash Rod district at 11:00 pm killing two policemen, wounding one, and kidnapping five others," said provincial police chief General Abdul Jabar Purdeli.

"The insurgents took away the weapons, ammunition and all the equipment."

Hashim Noorzai, district governor of Khash Rod, told AFP that two policemen, who have since disappeared, alerted the Taliban to attack the checkpoint.

"Two of the policemen were Taliban puppets and were linked to them," he said.

The Taliban and other insurgent groups frequently target Afghan government forces who are to take increasing responsibility for security in Afghanistan between now and the end of 2014, when foreign combat troops pull out.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011