Eight Afghan Police Killed In Insider Attack

An Afghan official says eight policemen have been killed by a colleague who turned his gun on them in the southern province of Zabul.

Ghulam Jalani Farahi, the province's deputy police chief, said the incident occurred at a checkpoint in the provincial capital, Qalat.

He said the perpetrator escaped the scene, taking weapons, ammunition, and a vehicle.

A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the shooter "is now with us."

In mid-February, an Afghan police officer drugged his colleagues before shooting five of them dead in Kandahar Province.

The latest attack took place as the Taliban ramp up their annual spring offensive launched last month against Western-backed Afghan forces.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP