Afghanistan: Taliban kill 20 police in southern Zabul province

At least 20 Afghan policemen were killed when Taliban gunmen stormed security checkpoints in the southern province of Zabul on May 21, officials said, as the Taliban stepped up their annual spring offensive.

Afghan troops cordon off the area where the attack on New Kabul Bank took place in Gardez on May 20. Photo: VNA

Zabul provincial governor Bismillah Afghanmal said hundreds of Taliban militants armed with heavy and light weapons launched coordinated attacks on several police checkpoints in Shah Joi and Deh Chopan districts, killing 20 policemen.

According to the official, 14 policemen were killed in the attack in Shah Joi district and six others in Deh Chopan district.

Meanwhile, another official in the same province said that the Taliban insurgents fired 40 rockets into the provincial capital Qalat, located 340km south of Kabul, on the same morning. Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident.

The official said Afghan security forces launched a counter-offensive to drive the militants out of the areas.

The attacks came exactly a month after the Taliban killed at least 135 Afghan security personnel in the northern province of Balkh.

This is considered the bloodiest attack carried out by the Taliban on an Afghan military base./.

According to Vietnamplus