Taliban fighters kill 37 Afghan Policemen

(dpa/NAN) At least 37 local policemen were killed by the Taliban as fighting rage in Afghanistan’s Western Farah Province, local officials said on Monday.

Khost, the sole village controlled by the government in Khak-e Safid district, was attacked by Taliban militants while the fight was ongoing, Humaira Ayubi, a member of parliament from the province, told dpa.

Over 150 others are missing from the village, provincial council member Abdul Samad Salehi told dpa.

Salehi added that there was a contingent of 200 local policemen stationed in the village.

He said militants had set fire to houses in the village.

Ayubi also said that the Taliban had attacked two to three police checkpoints on the outskirts of the city and had ransacked everything.

She claimed that despite years of discussions with the government about the deteriorating security situation of the province, authorities have yet to listen and increase the number of troops.

Ayubi said that Farah’s security situation is very fragile and save for the provincial capital Farah city, every other district is currently controlled by the Taliban.

In mid-May, Taliban militants overrun parts of Farah city, battling Afghan forces for control for days.

Earlier, at least 25 Afghan security personnel were killed in a Taliban attack on a military base in the province on Nov. 6.