MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Five district police, including police chief, were killed in an improvised bomb explosion hitting an armored police vehicle in Qaramqol district of Afghanistan's northern Faryab province on Tuesday night, local police confirmed Wednesday.
"Police chief Safar Rahis and four policemen martyred following an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack roughly at 10:30 p.m. (local time) Tuesday in Qaramqol district," provincial police spokesman, Karim Urish, told Xinhua.
They were part of responding police travelling to reinforce security checkpoints attacked by the Taliban militants in surrounding areas of the district, in the northern part of the province, he said.
Such attacks had frequently happened when Taliban targeted responding security forces by roadside bombs or ambushes.
The spokesman did not provide further details, saying the attack was repulsed by the security forces and six militants were killed and three others wounded during the clashes lasting for hours.
Taliban militants, who ruled the country before being ousted in late 2001, renewed armed insurgency killing government troops as well as civilians.
They have frequently been attacking district offices, military camps, government installations and security checkpoints, while the Afghan troops respond with airstrikes on militant targets in the countryside. Enditem
