Afghan policeman kills nine colleagues

An Afghan policeman killed nine of his fellow officers as they lay sleeping in a village in the eastern Paktika province on Friday, police have said. Provincial police Chief Dawlat Khan Zadran said the incident took place in Yayakhil town of Yayakhil district, AP has reported. Afghan policeman kills nine colleagues Yayakhil district Chief Bowal Khan identified the gunman as Asadullah, who goes by one name. He said the gunman was assigned to a small command post when he woke up at 3:00 for guard duty. He then used his assault rifle to kill the nine men sleeping inside the post, took their weapons and piled them in a pickup truck. The victims included one of his Asadullah’s brothers and the commander of the post, identified as Mohammad Ramazan. He said two of the dead were Ramazan's sons. The motive for the killing was not known, but police in the area blamed the Taliban for the attack. NATO said Friday that two of its service members were killed in southern Afghanistan. They said one died in a roadside bomb explosion on Friday and the other one in an insurgent attack that took place Thursday, AP has reported. 88 international troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year. In the meantime NATO and Afghan officials have said that 30 Taliban were killed and another 15 wounded in U.S. air strikes and in the fighting in the remote Farah province, Reuters reports. Officials have warned of a hard summer ahead as the fighting season resumes and Afghan national forces assume responsibility of security in more parts of the country from NATO combat forces set to leave by the end of 2014. (FoNet, file) Beta Tanjug

Afghan policeman kills nine colleagues

Yayakhil district Chief Bowal Khan identified the gunman as Asadullah, who goes by one name. He said the gunman was assigned to a small command post when he woke up at 3:00 for guard duty. He then used his assault rifle to kill the nine men sleeping inside the post, took their weapons and piled them in a pickup truck.

The victims included one of his Asadullah’s brothers and the commander of the post, identified as Mohammad Ramazan. He said two of the dead were Ramazan's sons.

The motive for the killing was not known, but police in the area blamed the Taliban for the attack.

NATO said Friday that two of its service members were killed in southern Afghanistan. They said one died in a roadside bomb explosion on Friday and the other one in an insurgent attack that took place Thursday, AP has reported.

88 international troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year.

In the meantime NATO and Afghan officials have said that 30 Taliban were killed and another 15 wounded in U.S. air strikes and in the fighting in the remote Farah province, Reuters reports.

Officials have warned of a hard summer ahead as the fighting season resumes and Afghan national forces assume responsibility of security in more parts of the country from NATO combat forces set to leave by the end of 2014.