Roadside bomb kills 6 Afghan police, district chief

KHOST, Afghanistan, May 24 (Reuters) A roadside bomb killed six policemen and a district chief today in Afghanistan's southeastern province of Paktika, the provincial governor said.

The blast occurred in Yahya Kheil district, close to the border with Pakistan, Paktika governor Akram Khpelwak said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Violence has surged in recent months in Afghanistan after a lull during winter. Last year's fighting was the bloodiest since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001 and the militants have vowed to step up their campaign against foreign forces.

The guerrillas are largely active in southern and eastern areas where more than 5,000 people have been killed in the past 16 months.

The violence is rising despite the presence of nearly 50,000 foreign troops led by NATO and the U.S. military as well as about 100,000 Afghan security forces.

REUTERS RC HS1454