Roadside bomb kills 6 policemen in Afghanistan

May 21, 2013 @ 12:30 am

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A powerful roadside bomb killed six policemen in western Afghanistan on Tuesday when their vehicle hit the explosives buried in the road, an Afghan official said.

Insurgents often use makeshift land mines to target both Afghan government officials and international forces in Afghanistan. The explosives often kill civilians as well, accounting for a large percentage of Afghan civilian casualties last year.

Tuesday's explosion in Herat province was so strong that the police truck was completely destroyed in the blast, District Police Chief Sher Agha said, adding that there were no survivors.

The policemen were guards on the Salma dam project and were on their way to Herat city, the provincial capital, when they hit the roadside bomb in Obey district, Agha said.

In recent months, the Taliban have launched a fierce offensive against the Afghan government they want to overthrow, unleashing a wave of assassinations and bombings. Insurgents have also been attacking police positions around the country, seeking to seize territory.

Their aim is to weaken the government ahead of the pullout of most international troops from the country by the end of next year.

Afghan security forces have been increasingly taking the lead in fighting insurgents, and this summer's fighting season is seen as a crucial test of their capabilities without foreign military fighting alongside them.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
More World News
Top Stories

  • Nature's Reality Check
    We can conquer terrorism, cure cancer, but a tornado can remind us of our insecurity

  • Messiest
    New lane restrictions mean Mercer Street is tough to travel during afternoon commutes

  • Back to Work
    Ten observations from practice that only a backup, middle child, left-handed QB can provide
MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (1)


  • Add A Comment

  • hnuh wrote...
    02-19-2013
    February 19, 2013 2:04 pm
    Dear leader, the one, the anointed one, the light worker, the healer of the planet, lowerer of sea levels, restorer of respect for America in the world, received a Nobel Peace Prize before he had done anything at all. Now the dear one, international terrorist, war criminal, savage, murdering evil one slaughters civilians in the most cowardly and indiscriminate way in far off lands to the cheers of our magnificently hypocritical leftists.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }