Five people, including three policemen and two government officials, have been killed and eight others wounded in fresh violence in the troubled southern parts of of Afghanistan last night. About two dozen Taliban fighters attacked a police post in Yaqubee district of Khost province killing two policemen and injuring seven others. The attackers fired several rockets on the police post in the wee hours on Tuesday which resulted in killing of two cops, said a police officer introducing himself as Wazir Bacha. Bacha said two militants were also killed in exchange of fire. He said a search operation had been launched in the area and so far a dozen suspects had been apprehended. In Kandahar province, Taliban stormed a police post in Khakrez area and killed one cop and injured two others. Taliban spokesman Yousaf Ahmadi said heavy losses had been inflicted on the police during the two clashes.
Separately, two government officials were beheaded and their bodies dumped in an uninhabited area in the southern Helmand province. Police officials and residents said the bodies were recovered from an area in the Grishk district, which has been scene to clashes between Taliban and government and coalition forces over the past few months. A district official said the two men were government officials, who were kidnapped a few days back while traveling in the district. He did not name any one for the killing. Taliban in the southern and eastern region of Afghanistan are targeting officials, including teachers, doctors, security personnel and pro-government ulema (religious scholars).