1 policeman killed, 3 wounded in Helmand bombing

LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): A policeman was killed and three others wounded in a roadside bombing on the Kandahar-Helmand highway on Tuesday, an official said.

Col. Sattar Khan, highway commander, told Pajhwok Afghan News the incident took place at around 10am when police were shifting prisoners from Lashkargah to Kandahar province.

He said one policeman was killed and two others were wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.

Lt. Col. Raz Mohammad, deputy head of Helmand jail, said the policemen were transferring two prisoners from Lashkargah to Kandahar. One prisoner was also injured in the blast.

In response to a question, Mohammad said: “They were not political inmates; they were convicted criminals.”

The Taliban have not yet commented on the incident, which came hours after a dozen policemen were killed in a Taliban attack in Lashkargah.

Helmand is one of the most unstable provinces of the country where six of 13 districts are under Taliban control. Afghan forces control only some of the restive districts centres.

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