A string of coordinated Taliban attacks on police checkpoints in the increasingly volatile southern Afghan province of Helmand killed at least 12 policemen, an official said on Monday.
Also, seven police officers were wounded in the attacks and seven others were missing, presumably abducted by the Taliban. The attacks, which took place in the province’s Gereshk district, were launched on Sunday night and lasted for many hours, said Hismatullah Daulatzai, head of police for the greater Helmand zone.
The 15-year insurgency in Afghanistan has intensified across the south as the Taliban concentrate their war on Helmand, Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces. Many of the attacks target police checkpoints, with Taliban fighters stealing weapons, ammunition and vehicles and often abducting Afghan forces.
