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1st LD Writethru: 4 killed, 22 injured in checkpoint attack in E. Afghanistan

Xinhua, October 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

One police and three militants were killed and 22 other persons injured when Taliban attacked checkpoints in outskirts of Mehtarlam city, capital of Afghanistan's eastern province of Laghman on Tuesday, the provincial government said.

"Militants stormed security checkpoints in Maydani, Harmal and Bibi Hajira localities in eastern outskirts of Mehtarlam city Tuesday morning, triggering clashes that caused one policeman and three militants killed," it said in a written statement.

Among the killed militants were two Taliban local commanders named Naqibullah and Nasim, the statement said, adding that three police personnel and nine militants were also wounded by the clashes.

"Ten civilians, including many children, were wounded after two mortar rounds fired by the militants struck a residential area in Maydani locality during the engagement," the statement reads.

The injured were shifted to a hospital in the city, 90 km east of Afghan capital of Kabul.

Provincial Governor Abdul Jabar Nahimi condemned the attack and instructed the health authorities to provide best medical treatment for the injured.

The Taliban militants have been on the rampage since April when they launched their so-called annual rebel offensive in different places in Afghanistan, including the capital of Kabul, killing and injuring hundreds.

The Taliban urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government.

On Monday, two civilians were killed and five people were wounded after a vehicle touched off a Taliban Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in southern Kandahar province, according to Samim Khpalwak, spokesman of Kandahar's provincial government. Enditem