Taliban infiltrators kill four Afghan police: officials

Taliban insurgents step up their attacks recently in effort to exploit end of NATO's combat mission in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR: Two Taliban infiltrators killed four of their police colleagues when they opened fire at a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan before fleeing the scene, provincial officials said Monday.

The shooting happened late Sunday in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province, the heartland of the Taliban's 14-year insurgency against Afghan and foreign forces, they said.

"Two local policemen opened fire on their fellow comrades at a checkpoint in Maiwand district of Kandahar province, killing four local policemen," Samim Khpalwak, spokesperson for Kandahar's provincial governor, told AFP.

Khpalwak said an investigation had been launched into the incident.

Zia Durrani, a provincial police spokesperson, confirmed the details of the incident, for which Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousuf Ahmadi claimed responsibility.

Taliban insurgents have stepped up their attacks recently in an effort to exploit the end of Nato's combat mission in Afghanistan.

So-called "green-on-blue" attacks in recent years undermined relations between foreign soldiers and the Afghan military, who were being trained to take on the Taliban alone after Nato's exit.

Though Afghan security forces have tightened their checks, insider attacks by Taliban infiltrators remain a threat.