MAZAR SHARIF: Taliban militants killed 22 police officers and wounded eight after ambushing a police convoy in northern Afghanistan on Monday, officials said.

The early morning attack in Sari Pul province highlights Afghanistan’s fragile security situation, with local forces facing a persistent Taliban insurgency as Nato winds down its military presence.

The police were attacked as they travelled to reinforce colleagues in another district in Sari Pul.

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“They were ambushed as they were going from Laghman area to Alaf Safid.Twenty-two police were martyred, eight wounded and seven were taken captive,” provincial governor Abdul Jabar Haqbin told AFP.

He said the attack sparked a gunbattle that lasted several hours and left 23 Taliban fighters dead.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2014