 Taliban militants attacked a police checkpoint in southern Afghanistan and killed 16 officers, the Interior Ministry said Monday. Seven Afghan police and soldiers were reported dead elsewhere as the country's bloodiest year since the Taliban was deposed from power -- by United States-led forces in 2001 -- drew to a close. | More than 6,500 people -- mostly militants -- died in 2007. |
More than 6,500 people -- mostly militants -- died in 2007, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from Afghan and Western officials. Also in 2007, 110 U.S. soldiers were killed in the country -- the highest American death toll since the 2001 invasion.
The policemen were manning a checkpoint in the Maywand district of Kandahar province on Saturday when a large group of militants attacked them, said Zemerai Bashary, the Interior Ministry spokesman. "We still have not found the bodies, but police in Kandahar have launched a search operation," Bashary said. A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the militant group was responsible for the killings.
| Taliban fighters have shied away from attacking international military forces and the Afghan army, which is better trained and better equipped than Afghan police. |
The militants have repeatedly attacked the checkpoint -- situated near Highway 1, Afghanistan's main thoroughfare -- over the last year, which is part of the reason that so many police were stationed there. The acting police chief of Kandahar province, Omar Khan, said police were investigating and he could not give any details about the attack. Taliban fighters have shied away from attacking international military forces and the Afghan army, which is better trained and better equipped than Afghan police. |