Afghan official: Taliban kill 8 police in northern province
KABUL — The Taliban overran three security checkpoints in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar province, killing eight policemen and cutting off a key road and two of the region’s districts, an Afghan official said Tuesday.
Sunatullah Timor, the provincial spokesman, said Monday’s attack triggered an hours-long firefight and also left three police officers wounded. Eight of the attackers were also killed in the gunbattle, he said.
The insurgents succeeded in cutting off the districts of Darqad and Khuja Bhawedin, Timor said, but the government has sent in reinforcements and launched a counter-attack.
The attack coincided with Monday’s visit to Kabul by U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis to assess what has become America’s longest war as the Trump administration weighs sending in more U.S. troops to help the Afghans fight the insurgency.