Afghanistan: Taliban Fighters Attack Police Post, Killing 4 And Abducting 16

Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A mortar fired during heavy fighting between NATO forces and the Taliban hit a house in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing three women, a local official said.

The battle began when Taliban fighters ambushed a NATO convoy traveling through Chak district in Wardak province, said Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the provincial governor. Both sides used heavy weapons, but it was not immediately clear who fired the mortar, he said.

Four women in the house were also wounded, Shahid said.

NATO forces spokesman Capt. Justin Brockhoff said initial reports indicate it was a combat outpost that came under fire. He said they were looking into reports that "civilian casualties may have been caused by the engagement."

Last year was the deadliest on record for civilians in the Afghan war, with 3,021 killed, according to the United Nations. Taliban-affiliated militants were responsible for more than three-quarters of those deaths.

In the country's northeast, another group of Taliban fighters launched an overnight attack on a police post, killing four officers and abducting 16, Badakhshan Deputy Gov. Shams ul-Rahman said.

Police reinforcements have been sent to secure the post, which sits on a key highway passing through Fayz Abad district, he said.

He said two police officers were wounded in the hours-long attack, in which the Taliban were aided by militants from other Central Asian countries. Badakhshan province borders Pakistan, Tajikistan and China.

Also Thursday, Afghan border police killed eight insurgents who they found placing a bomb near a road in Spin Boldak district, said Gen. Abdul Razaq said, the police chief for Kandahar.

(This version CORRECTS that the official quoted in paragraph 2 is governor's spokesman, not governor.)

Earlier on HuffPost:

live blog

Oldest Newest

Police Take Position

Police take their position alongside a giant picture of Afghan national hero Ahmad Shah Massoud, on the roof of police headquarters in Kabul on May 7, 2012. The United States has freed up to 20 detainees from a military prison in Afghanistan over the past two years in an effort to promote reconciliation with insurgent groups, the US embassy said. (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/GettyImages)

Share this:

A Mining Future On Hold

@ AbasDaiyar : Dreams Of A Mining Future On Hold In #Afghanistan : NPR http://t.co/uN1C2TP3?

Share this:

Checkpoint Lookout

An Afghan youth looks out from an intricately carved truck window at a police checkpoint in Kabul on May 7, 2012. Afghan forces are ready to take responsibility for security in 2013, the defence ministry said on May 7, reacting to a pledge to withdraw French troops early by president-elect Francois Hollande. Hollande made a campaign promise to pull French soldiers out of Afghanistan this year, ending his country's combat role two years earlier than NATO's carefully crafted plan to hand security control to Afghans by 2014. (SHAH MARAI/AFP/GettyImages)

Share this:

Government Vows

@ ISAFmedia : AP reports: Afghan Govt forces will thwart any attacks mounted by Taliban. http://t.co/qDEtWRsI #ANSFCanDo

Share this:

What French Election Means For Afghanistan

@ headlinenews : Fox: What French presidential vote means for European debt crisis, Afghan war, global diplomacy: French voters c... http://t.co/E6fcgbiH

Share this:

Afghanistan At NATO Summit

@ AfghanNews24 : Afghanistan a major focus of NATO summit - Chicago Sun-Times http://t.co/a7lk2KGT

Share this:

Inside A Plane

U.S. servicemen inside of a plane before their departure to Afghanistan from the U.S. transit center Manas, 30 km outside the Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, on March 27, 2012. A planned withdrawal of US and coalition forces by the end of 2014 hinges on building up Afghan army and police, but the surge in 'fratricidal' attacks threatens to undermine that strategy, with strained relations between NATO troops and Afghan forces marked by distrust and cultural clashes. (VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/GettyImages)

Share this:

Sunset

An Afghan boy walks with his cow at sunset in Mazar-i Sharif, capital of the Balkh province on April 9, 2012. Agriculture has traditionally driven the Central Asian nation's economy, with wheat and cereal production being mainstays and quality fruits, especially pomegranates, apricots, grapes, melons, and mullberries being exported to many countries. (QAIS USYAN/AFP/GettyImages)

Share this:

The Next Decade Of War

@ JoeNBC : Looking Ahead to the Afghan War's Next Decade - Global - The Atlantic Wire: http://t.co/CWSrDjih

Share this:

US Soldier Dies Of Rabies From Dog Bite

@ NewYorkPost : US soldier dies of rabies after dog bite in Afghanistan http://t.co/NudcMgyu

Share this:

Closed Factory, Lost Dreams

Gazing glumly over millions of dollars worth of machinery which used to churn out thousands of police and army boots each day but now sits wreathed in plastic sheeting, Farhad Saffi fears he is seeing the death of an Afghan dream.

Read the entire story here.

Share this:

Hamid Karzai Speaks

Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a press conference at the presidential palace in Kabul on May 3, 2012. Karzai hailed a new pact with the United States but warned that tough negotiations on Washington's military presence in his war-torn country after 2014 still lay ahead. (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/GettyImages)

Share this:

Gen. John R. Allen Explains The Handover

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of the ISAF forces in Afghanistan, explains to Al Jazeera English why the handover in the turbulent country is "like building an airplane in midflight."

Share this:

Honoring Troops Lost In Afghanistan

@ cbrangel : As we begin our withdrawal from Afghanistan, we honor the 1,828 heroic Americans who paid the ultimate sacrifice.http://1.usa.gov/IywJn3

Share this:

Agreement Short On Specifics

@ csmonitor : Obama's agreement with Karzai in Afghanistan short on specifics http://t.co/Kb4iI5d1

Share this:

More

Comments

[vergoton]

12:25 PM on 04/26/2012

Same story everyday.......News should paste it and copy it and just change the number of dead soldiers...........................

[Dan Stewart]

09:53 AM on 04/26/2012

Sometimes when a foreign army invades and occupies a country and then installs a puppet government, the people of that country view the police of the puppet government as collaborators of the foreign invader (see Vichy France) and take retribution against them.

[semper fi forever]

09:33 AM on 04/26/2012

Not worth another US or NATO casualty.... declare victory and get the hell out. With the one caveat... if the place is used again a a center for terrorist training, "use the cruise" to end it. From 1000 miles away.

[roudy]

09:31 AM on 04/26/2012

Thank heaven the US has nothing to do with that mess over there. Oh wait........

[Saywhut]

08:51 AM on 04/26/2012

We didn't "free" the Afghan people, we just paved the way for the Taliban with a red carpet. Billions upon billions of dollars wasted just like Russia made that mistake to try fighting there. And let's not forget the loss of lives of our brave men and women in uniform. 20 years from now, when the Taliban has conquered and rules there again we may go: "Yeah, that was worse than Vietnam".

[FromMarineToCop]

08:17 AM on 04/26/2012

This country cannot be saved. They will never change. If we are going to stay in this country, let us step up, forget about offending people and fight. Otherwise, we are sitting ducks and the US casualties are going to skyrocket.

[SoapboxKing]

12:23 PM on 04/26/2012

you will never win this war with force.

[FromMarineToCop]

01:00 PM on 04/26/2012

Not looking to win it, just survive it.