5 policemen dead in Farah explosion, Laghman firefight

FARAH CITY/MEHTARLAM (Pajhwok): Five policemen have been killed and three others wounded in separate incidents in weste Farah and easte Laghman provinces, officials said on Thursday.

Two border policemen were killed and three others injured in a roadside bombing on Wednesday evening in the Gast area of the Pusht-i-Koh district of Farah, said the administrative head of the town.

Ezzatullah Ezzat told Pajhwok Afghan News the casualties occurred when a border police vehicle patrolling Gast area struck a bomb placed beneath a culvert.

Separately, three policemen were killed during a clash with Taliban. The firefight erupted after a rogue policeman facilitated the rebels, police spokesman 2nd Lt. Shafiullah Afghanyar said.

The policeman joined the Taliban after the incident, he confirmed. There is no word yet from the insurgent movement.

myn/mud