Taliban kill 8 policemen in separate attacks: Afghan official

At least eight police officers were killed in separate attacks by Taliban insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, a government official said on Saturday.

At least eight police officers were killed in separate attacks by Taliban insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, a government official said on Saturday.

Col. Asadullah Ensafi, the deputy police chief in Ghazni province, said Saturday another 15 police officers were also injured in the attacks on police checkpoints in the province's Andar and Qarabagh districts.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks, carried out on Friday. Insurgents have targeted police checkpoints in recent months, resulting in high casualties.

Separately, Ensafi says an Afghan airstrike killed 16 insurgents and wounded 17 late Friday in Ghazni's capital.

The war with the Taliban has been particularly tough this year for Afghan forces, who are fighting without international troops backing them up following the US and NATO ending their combat mission last year.