Attacks kill 17 Afghan officers
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Militants have killed 17 Afghan police officers across Afghanistan over the last two days, while four suspected Taliban fighters died in a clash with NATO and Afghan troops, officials said yesterday.
Six police officers were killed when their convoy was ambushed along the Kabul-Kandahar highway, a ribbon of road that connects Afghanistan's two major cities. Long stretches of the highway run through areas controlled by Taliban militants.
Taliban fighters also ambushed police in Logar Province, killing six officers and stealing two police trucks, said General Mustafa Khan, the provincial police chief. Most of the attackers fled when NATO and Afghan reinforcements arrived, but eight militants were captured, Khan said.
In the east, two suicide bombers tried to attack Khost's provincial police station. One bomber blew himself up, killing at least three officers, while the second was shot and killed before he could detonate his explosive device, said Mohammad Wali Shah, provincial police chief.
Suspected Taliban militants ambushed two police officers in Zhari district in southern Kandahar Province on Tuesday, killing both, said Sayed Agha Saqib, the provincial police chief.
Five police officers also were wounded in the southern Zabul Province, said General Yaqoob Khan, the provincial police chief, and two vehicles were damaged. 