A remote-controlled roadside bomb killed three cops in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, an attack the Taliban claimed as the opening round of their spring offensive.
Ghazni Deputy Governor Muhammad Ali Ahmadi said the bomb exploded beneath a police convoy that was travelling to District Zana Khan to take part in a military operation against insurgents.
He said the blast destroyed the vehicle carrying Deputy Police Chief Muhammad Hussain, killing him and two other officials.
Ahmadi said two officers also were wounded in the insurgent operation, adding that it clearly targeted Hussain.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility in an email sent to the media. He called the bombing the first attack in the spring offensive that Taliban’s leadership said it was starting on Sunday.
The Taliban said their forces planned to infiltrate enemy ranks to conduct so-called insider attacks and target military and diplomatic sites with suicide bombers.
Terrorists have escalated attacks recently in a bid to gain power and influence ahead of next year’s presidential election and the planned withdrawal of most US and other foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.
US-backed efforts to try to reconcile the terrorists with the Afghan government are gaining little traction.
April already has been the deadliest month this year for attacks across the country, where Afghan security forces are leading the war that has lasted more than 11 years.
On Saturday, a NATO plane crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing four troops.
The alliance said initial reports indicated no enemy activity in the area where the plane went down.
Coalition personnel secured the site and were investigating the cause of the crash.
NATO didn’t identify the province where the crash occurred, but Muhammad Jan Rasulyar, deputy governor of the southern province of Zabul, said an aircraft belonging to foreign forces crashed there on Saturday.
NATO declined on Sunday to provide more information about the crash, including the type of aircraft involved, as the investigation continues.
Also on Sunday, the US-led international military coalition said Afghan and foreign forces arrested six insurgents on Saturday, three in Helmand province, one in Baghlan province and two in Kandahar province.
The report said the two taken into custody in Kandahar city included a local Taliban leader who allegedly had coordinated assassinations, sniper ambushes and other attacks there against coalition and Afghan forces.
There are about 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan, including 66,000 Americans. A top priority of the US force, which is slated to drop to about 32,000 by February 2014, is boosting the strength and confidence of Afghan forces.
