Afghanistan: Eight police killed at Helmand checkpoint

Correspondents say that in recent months Taliban militants have carried out several attacks, some of them high profile, by infiltrating the Western-trained Afghan security forces. <!--break--> <div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oAtF8zFKr9w/ToNPpm7voAI/AAAAAAAAAEc/PbNbES8ytzs/s1600/security-police.jpg" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oAtF8zFKr9w/ToNPpm7voAI/AAAAAAAAAEc/PbNbES8ytzs/s320/security-police.jpg" width="320" alt="" /></a></div ><br /> <br /> Eight Afghan policemen have been shot and killed in an attack on a checkpoint in the southern province of Helmand, officials say. <br /> <br /> They say the attack was carried out by the Taliban near Lashkar Gah on Tuesday night. Three policemen were wounded and one is missing. <br /> <br /> Some officials say that the attackers were helped by the missing policeman. <br /> <br /> Lashkar Gah is one of seven initial areas where security has been handed from Nato to Afghan forces. <br /> <br /> Foreign combat troops are due to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014. <br /> <br /> The BBC's Bilal Sarwary says that insurgents are trying to undermine the authority and lower the morale of Afghan security forces as the transition gets under way. <br /> <br /> On Tuesday a suicide car bomber attacked a popular bakery in Lashkar Gah, killing at least five people. <br /> <br /> High profile attacks <br /> <br /> "The Taliban had help from a policeman inside the checkpoint," a senior policeman in the area told the BBC. <br /> <br /> "Our information shows that the attackers were helped by this officer. He may have even have removed the [firing] pin from a heavy machine gun. He has fled the checkpoint with his gun. <br /> <br /> "We are going to be looking for him. We have questioned two people who know him well.'' <br /> <br /> An Afghan intelligence official in the area told the BBC that the Taliban had managed to recruit the police officer some time ago. <br /> <br /> "He did this for money because his record shows he was not a very religious person,'' the official said. <br /> <br /> Correspondents say that in recent months Taliban militants have carried out several attacks, some of them high profile, by infiltrating the Western-trained Afghan security forces. <br /> <br /> The bakery attack in Lashkar Gah took place close to police headquarters. <br /> <br /> According to witnesses, police were buying bread when the attack took place. Two civilians were among the dead. <br /> <br /> In a separate development, the New Zealand defence ministry has announced that a Special Forces soldier was killed in a gun battle with Taliban fighters during a special operation in the central province of Wardak. <br /> <br /> He said that the soldier was part of a group of special forces troops supporting about 50 Afghan police trying to search for and arrest a rebel group suspected of planning an attack on Kabul. <br /> <br /> Tags: Afghan police , Afghan policemen, Afghan security forces , Special Forces, Foreign Combat Troops, The Taliban, Taliban militants, Security Police

<p>Correspondents say that in recent months Taliban militants have carried out several attacks, some of them high profile, by infiltrating the Western-trained Afghan security forces.</p> <!--break--><div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oAtF8zFKr9w/ToNPpm7voAI/AAAAAAAAAEc/PbNbES8ytzs/s1600/security-police.jpg" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oAtF8zFKr9w/ToNPpm7voAI/AAAAAAAAAEc/PbNbES8ytzs/s320/security-police.jpg" width="320" alt="" /></a></div> <p> Eight Afghan policemen have been shot and killed in an attack on a checkpoint in the southern province of Helmand, officials say. </p> <p> They say the attack was carried out by the Taliban near Lashkar Gah on Tuesday night. Three policemen were wounded and one is missing. </p> <p> Some officials say that the attackers were helped by the missing policeman. </p> <p> Lashkar Gah is one of seven initial areas where security has been handed from Nato to Afghan forces. </p> <p> Foreign combat troops are due to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014. </p> <p> The BBC's Bilal Sarwary says that insurgents are trying to undermine the authority and lower the morale of Afghan security forces as the transition gets under way. </p> <p> On Tuesday a suicide car bomber attacked a popular bakery in Lashkar Gah, killing at least five people. </p> <p> High profile attacks </p> <p> "The Taliban had help from a policeman inside the checkpoint," a senior policeman in the area told the BBC. </p> <p> "Our information shows that the attackers were helped by this officer. He may have even have removed the [firing] pin from a heavy machine gun. He has fled the checkpoint with his gun. </p> <p> "We are going to be looking for him. We have questioned two people who know him well.'' </p> <p> An Afghan intelligence official in the area told the BBC that the Taliban had managed to recruit the police officer some time ago. </p> <p> "He did this for money because his record shows he was not a very religious person,'' the official said. </p> <p> Correspondents say that in recent months Taliban militants have carried out several attacks, some of them high profile, by infiltrating the Western-trained Afghan security forces. </p> <p> The bakery attack in Lashkar Gah took place close to police headquarters. </p> <p> According to witnesses, police were buying bread when the attack took place. Two civilians were among the dead. </p> <p> In a separate development, the New Zealand defence ministry has announced that a Special Forces soldier was killed in a gun battle with Taliban fighters during a special operation in the central province of Wardak. </p> <p> He said that the soldier was part of a group of special forces troops supporting about 50 Afghan police trying to search for and arrest a rebel group suspected of planning an attack on Kabul. </p> <p> Tags: Afghan police , Afghan policemen, Afghan security forces , Special Forces, Foreign Combat Troops, The Taliban, Taliban militants, Security Police</p>