Afghan police officers kill 7 sleeping colleagues at checkpoint

USPA News - Two Afghan police officers opened fire at their sleeping colleagues on early Tuesday morning, killing a police commander and six of his men, officials said. There were conflicting reports about the exact circumstances of the killings, but the Taliban claimed responsibility.

The attack happened at around 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday when two Afghan police officers killed seven of their sleeping colleagues inside a checkpoint in the Tori Gari area of Arghistan district in Kandahar province, which is located in Afghanistan`s volatile southern region that was the birthplace of the Taliban movement two decades ago. Provincial police officials said the gunmen had rejoined the police force last week after previously defecting to the Taliban. But other officials claimed the two men had been invited for dinner at the checkpoint but grabbed guns belonging to the officers and opened fire after a verbal argument. It was not possible to independently verify either account, but Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack. He said the killings were carried out by an Afghan police officer who infiltrated the checkpoint, but the insurgent group is known to frequently make false claims of responsibility. "The hero later collected all the arms, ammunition and other equipment, packed it into a pickup truck and joined up with Mujahideen (Taliban fighters) who later transferred him to a safe location," the spokesman said. Officials confirmed they were searching for the two gunmen.