10 Afghan police personnel die in insider attacks in south

Ten police personnel have been killed in two separate suspected insider attacks in southern Afghan region, local police officials said on Thursday.

In one attack which occurred late Wednesday night, eight policemen were shot dead by one of their comrade in a security checkpoint in Zafar Khel area, outskirts of Qalat city, capital of southern Zabul province, deputy provincial police Chief Ghulam Gilani Farahi told Xinhua.

The attacker fled the scene shortly after the shooting and took weapons on a police van, the police chief said, adding an investigation was launched into the incident.

The Taliban militant group has claimed responsibility for the incident. The Taliban told local media that the shooter was a Taliban sympathizer and the attacker has joined the insurgents after the killing of the policemen in Zabul.

In a similar incident, two police were killed in a checkpoint in Dihrawud district of neighboring Uruzgan province late Wednesday, according to district police Chief Shah Mohammad.

More than 30 police members have been killed in the insider attacks in southern Afghanistan since the beginning of this year while military officials have said that most of the insider attacks are in some manner related to the Taliban-led insurgency. Endit