Afghan official:Taliban hit southern city,kill 12 cops

Kandahar, Oct 4: An Afghan policeman says 12 of his men were killed by Taliban fighters who attacked checkpoints around Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand province.

Haji Gran, chief of the city's police district 2, said today that the Taliban attacked four checkpoints late yesterday, killing 12 and wounding another 11 policemen.

Lashkah Gar has been under threat of Taliban takeover for months as insurgents have been slowly taking control of Helmand since the beginning of the year.

The provincial spokesman, Omar Zwak, says Khanashin district in the south of the province had fallen to the Taliban after coming under attack yesterday.

He says that in recent days, around 45 members of Afghan security forces have been killed in fighting there and more than 15 have been taken captive.

PTI