Taliban militants slay 4 Afghan policemen: Officials

Taliban militants have killed at least four Afghan police officers after stopping their vehicle on the road to the capital, Kabul.

Authorities said on Thursday that the group claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred on Wednesday in Afghanistan’s Wardak province south of the capital.

The deadly incident comes as there have been conflicting reports about the number of policemen who managed to flee.

Wardak province deputy police chief Lutfullah Zaryab confirmed the fatalities, saying that the militants also kidnapped 11 policemen traveling from the southern city of Kandahar to Kabul. He noted that the remaining seven police managed to escape.

However, provincial spokesman Attahullah Khugyani said there were only five policemen in the car, and four of them were killed. He said the fifth man fled.

Meanwhile, the Taliban said in a statement that they carried out the assault, taking seven policemen on the road and killed all of them.

Police and government officials in Afghanistan are frequently targeted by the Taliban. On Tuesday, Afghan Deputy Minister of Public Works Ahmad Shah Wahid was abducted in Kabul, but it is not clear whether the Taliban were behind the kidnapping.

Taliban have recently stepped up their military offensive against US-led and Afghan forces, vowing a new wave of attacks across Afghanistan.

The militant group said it would use every possible tactic to inflict casualties on Afghan and US-led forces.
The announcement prompted Afghan authorities to beef up security in major cities across the country, including the capital Kabul.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country, despite the presence of thousands of US-led troops.