Post date: Jan 27, 2013 12:40:59 PM
Police injured in a roadside bomb, which killed eight in the volatile Afghan province of Kandahar, receive treatment.
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN (JANUARY 27, 2013) (REUTERS) - A roadside bomb killed eight policemen in Afghanistan's volatile southern province of Kandahar, police said on Sunday (January 27), in the third deadly attack by insurgents against police in 24 hours.
The local police chief said two Taliban suspects were also killed in the bombing.In the latest attack, the police in Kandahar had just finished defusing a roadside bomb and had arrested three men suspected of being Taliban insurgents when the blast occurred late on Saturday.
As well as those killed, six police and a third Taliban suspect were injured.
The injured policemen were taken to the Kandahar provincial hospital for treatment.
"During a search operation in the area my colleague picked up a fuel container from the ground. Suddenly there was an explosion and I don't know what happened after that," said wounded policeman Ahmadullah Khan, speaking from his hospital bed.
"We had defused a mine that was planted in the area. After that, our forces were leaving to go back to their posts when suddenly their vehicle was hit by another mine. As a result of the explosion, eight policemen were killed and were four wounded. We had also arrested three male suspects in the area. As a result of the explosion, two of the arrested men were killed and the third one wounded," said Kandahar Police Chief General Abdul Raziq.
Twenty police have been killed across Afghanistan since midday on Saturday (January 26), a level of violence that underlines concern over how the 350,000-strong Afghan security forces will manage once most NATO-led troops withdraw by the end of next year.
That blast came hours after 10 police officers, including the provincial counter-terrorism chief, were killed in an attack in northern Kunduz province. Another two police were killed in a bombing in eastern Ghazni province.
Eleven years into the NATO-led war against Taliban insurgents, violence has been increasing against Afghan security forces, sparking concern that they will not be able to take over all security responsibilities by the middle of this year.