Policeman killed, 5 injured in bomb attack in NW. Afghanistan

Kabul, May 16 (Xinhua-ANI): An Afghan policeman was killed and five others injured Wednesday in a roadside bombing in northwestern Afghan province of Badghis, a provincial official said.

"A roadside bomb was detonated through a remote control device at about 9 a.m. local time along a road in Muqur district when a police convoy was passing by the area," Deputy Provincial Governor Abdul Ghani Sabiri told Xinhua.

He said a policeman was killed and five other police officials including district police chief Hajji Syia Khan was injured in the attack.

Separately, three local elders were killed and one other injured Tuesday when a gunman riding a motorcycle opened fire in neighbouring Herat province.

"A group of people including several tribal elders were holding a meeting in an open area over a dispute in Shindand district late on Tuesday but the crowd was attacked by a terrorist," a provincial government spokesman Mohiddin Noori told Xinhua on Wednesday.

He said the attacker fled the area and police launched an investigation into the case.

In another development, five Taliban insurgents were killed Tuesday night as the Afghan police, backed by army, launched a sweep operation in Urgu district of northeastern Badakhshan province, provincial police chief General Abdul Sabor Nisbati told Xinhua.

The joint forces also found weapons during the raid but an army soldier and a policeman were also killed in the operation.

The Taliban insurgents, who have been waging a decade-long insurgency, intensified their activities across the country since the beginning of the spring known as "fighting season" particularly after the militant group announced on May 2 that they would launch a spring rebel offensive from May 3 against Afghan forces and some 130,000 U.S. and NATO troops stationed in the country. (Xinhua-ANI)