5 police killed in N. Afghan attack

FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Up to five policemen were killed when some unknown insurgents attacked a police checkpoint in northern Afghan province of Badakhshan overnight, police said on Wednesday morning.

 The deputy provincial police chief, Abdul Qadir Sayyad, told Xinhua that an unknown number of militants armed with AK-47 guns stormed a security point of a local Azure mine in Kuran Wa Munjan District of the mountainous province, killing five policemen of the post.

   He said several militants were also killed and injured in retaliatory firing by police forces in the province with Faizabad as its capital, 315 km northeast of Afghan capital of Kabul.

   The Taliban insurgent group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
   Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban purported spokesman, told local media that the militants, who have been waging an insurgency since their ouster from power more than a decade ago, have carried out the attack and killed 13 police officers besides destroying several police vehicles.

   A surge in attacks has been witnessed in the country over the past couple of months as the NATO and U.S. forces are withdrawing from the war-torn country. Afghanistan is due to take over the responsibility for its own security from NATO-led troops by the end of year.

   More than 34,000 NATO-led coalition troops, down from the peak of 130,000 in 2010, are currently stationed in Afghanistan. Nearly 24,000 of them are Americans and the United States plans to trim its forces to less than 10,000 next year.