Taliban rebels on Thursday claimed they had killed 10 police officials in a roadside bomb blast in the Bati Kot district in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, one of the Taliban spokesmen, in a statement posted on their website, claimed that 10 police officials were killed in a roadside bomb blast in the Daud Khail area of the Bati Kot district in eastern Nangarhar province.
Abdul Ghafoor, Nangarhar's police department spokesman, confirming the incident, told DPA a "remote-control explosion badly damaged police vehicle and as a result five police officials were wounded."
Ghafoor rejected Taliban's claim about the lives lost, but said the incident took place in the Daud Khail when the police officials were going to attend funeral prayers. "Three police officers and two soldiers were wounded in this incident."
At least 11 rebels were killed and six injured in another gunfight between coalition forces, Afghan forces and Taliban militants in southern Kandahar province, a government official said Thursday.
The remoteness of the area makes independent verification of the toll difficult.
The Taliban have announced an offensive - called "Nasrat", or "success" - for the month of Ramadan, which begins Thursday. The announcement came a short time after it had indicated it wanted to open talks with the government.