Taliban ambush kills 22 Afghan police officers

Twenty-two Afghan police officers have been killed following a Taliban ambush.

1 min read

26 November, 2018

Taliban militants and residents stand on an armoured Humvee

Taliban militants have attacked a police convoy in Afghanistan [AFP-archive]

A Taliban ambush in western Afghanistan has killed at least 22 police officers, a health official said Monday, in the latest outbreak of violence to hit the country.

The attack took place in Farah province on Sunday with at least two officers from the police patrol also injured, said Shir Ahmad Weda, director of the public hospital in the provincial capital.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message, saying 25 police were killed and four wounded.

"Four vehicles were destroyed and a large quantity of weapons were seized," Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the militants, added.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks on Afghan security forces in recent months, with record casualties.

On Sunday, hundreds clashed with police during the protest. Three policemen were shot and wounded and another 20 were hit by stones thrown by the protesters, who torched two police checkpoints.

"I can hear sporadic sound of shooting form the area," said lawmaker Nasrullah Sadeqizada of Monday's protest.

The US is also pushing for a peace deal with the Taliban, before presidential elections next April.

The Taliban view the US-backed government in Kabul as a dysfunctional Western puppet and have refused repeated offers to negotiate with it.