Roadside bomb kills six policemen in western Afghanistan

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 18, 2015 6:15AM

At least six police officers have been killed in a bomb explosion that destroyed their vehicle in Afghanistan's western province of Herat.

Ehsanullah Hayat, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the incident took place in the Guzara district of the province, situated 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) south of the provincial capital city of Herat, on Friday evening, when the policemen's patrol car ran over a buried explosive device.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the act of terror. However, such incidents are usually blamed on Taliban militants.

Roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices are by far the most lethal weapons Taliban militants use against Afghan forces, foreign troops and civilians.

Earlier in the day, at least three people lost their lives and more than a dozen others sustained injuries when a bomb blast struck near a mosque in Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh.

Security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the terrorist attack took place as a large number of people had gathered at a mosque in Sholgara district of the province, situated some 61 kilometers (38 miles) southwest of the provincial capital city of Mazar-i-Sharif, to offer prayers for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Afghanistan faces a security challenge years after the United States and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The offensive removed Taliban from power, but many areas in the country are still beset with insecurity.