Suspected Taleban militants killed five policemen in southern Afghanistan, the latest in a spate of attacks, residents and a foreign security source said yesterday. The policemen were killed in a firefight on Wednesday on a main road in the Nawarak area of Zabul province, they said. The raiders, who were believed to be Taleban members, blocked the road for several hours before fleeing, residents said. Zabul police and government officials were not available for comment. An official in neighboring Ghazni province confirmed a clash but did not have details. Suspected Taleban insurgents also killed at least three Afghans they claimed were spying for the United States, officials and reports said. Jan Mohammad Khan, governor of central Uruzgan province, confirmed that three people were killed in Charchino district on Wednesday. "They were innocent civilians," he told AFP. However the Taleban said it had killed a total of six people and said they were allegedly spying for the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, according to a report by the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press.