Attacks in Afghanistan Kill Six Police Officers

Insurgents have attacked security checkpoints in northern and eastern Afghanistan, killing six police, officials said Tuesday.

Jamshid Shahabi, the governor’s spokesman in the northwestern Badghis province, said two police officers were killed and four others were wounded in an attack Tuesday near Qala-i-Now, the provincial capital. He said 11 attackers were killed and 16 wounded in the battle.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban are active in the province and often target security forces.

In the eastern Paktia province, the Taliban attacked a district police headquarters late Monday, killing four police and wounding six, said Sardar Wali Tabasim, spokesman for the provincial police chief.

The Taliban said they took control of the entire district, a claim that was denied by Tabasim.

“Afghan security forces are in control of the district, and the Taliban’s attack was repelled,” he said, adding that more than 20 insurgents were killed during the battle.

The Taliban have seized several districts across Afghanistan and launch near-daily attacks, mainly targeting security forces and government officials. Afghan forces have struggled to combat the insurgents, even with U.S. and NATO support.

NATO said Tuesday that a U.S. service member died in a “non-combat related incident in eastern Afghanistan.”

“The incident is under investigation,” it said in a statement, without providing further details.