Taliban militants kill police chief in Helmand province of Afghanistan

Afghan officials said the Taliban has attacked a police headquarters the in southern Helmand province, killing the local police chief.

Afghan officials said the Taliban has attacked a police headquarters the in southern Helmand province, killing the local police chief.

An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier mans his position at an outpost in Babaji area of Lashkar Gah Helmand province, Afghanistan. (Reuters File Photo)

It’s the second major Taliban assault Monday in Afghanistan. The insurgents are also attacking the northern city of Kunduz since early morning.

Afzel Khan, a policeman who survived the Helmand attack, says a suicide car bomber struck the police compound in Naway district, blasting through the gate and allowing gunmen in afterward.

Provincial spokesperson Omar Zwak says police chief Ahmad Shah Khan was killed. Zwak couldn’t confirm other casualties and denied the district had fallen to the Taliban.

Zwak says the Taliban are also attacking in Helmand’s Nad Ali district.

Helmand, a Taliban heartland, is the source of most of the opium produced in Afghanistan, which helps fund the insurgency.