Kabul Gunmen attacked an outpost of a government-sponsored militia and killed 10 members of the security force in western Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.
The Taliban are targeting Afghan and Nato security forces as they fight to assert their power and undermine US efforts to try to build up the Afghan military, which will take the lead in combat responsibility over the next couple of years.
In other violence, a suicide bomber struck a bazaar in a north-eastern district yesterday, killing two people and wounding 16 others.
The attacks appear to be part of an increase in violence at the beginning of the spring fighting season. During the harsh Afghan winter, snow often blocks roads and fighting dies down.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack on the outpost late on Wednesday in Farah province's Khaki Safed district. Militants armed with assault rifles stormed the post manned by members of the Afghan Local Police, said provincial police chief Shamsul Rahman Zahid.
Neighbourhood watch
The militants shot a guard who was posted outside, then pushed into the compound and opened fire on those inside, said Abdul Khaliq Noorzai, the district administrator.
Another two militia members were dragged outside and shot dead, while four militiamen survived the attack, Zahid said.
The Afghan Local Police is a force created with the help of the American military. They have been described as an armed neighbourhood watch. The members come from the local community and receive a small government salary to oversee security.
