[Quqnoos] At least 16 Afghan policemen have been killed in two attacks on checkpoints in Afghanistan's north and south.The Afghan Interior ministry says an attack at a checkpoint in southern Helmand province Monday killed eight policemen.
The ministry says attackers killed another eight policemen during an assault on a major highway in northeastern Baghlan province on Sunday night.
Authorities said police killed at least two militants during the attack in Baghlan and blamed the assault on Hezb-i-Islami, a militant group that is allied to the Taliban.
Attacks on police in Baghlan are rare. The militant strike was one of the deadliest for the police force in Baghlan province for the past few years.
The attacks spark a rise in Taliban-led insurgency after US President Barack Obama authorised the deployment of extra 30,000 troops to turn around the war in Afghanistan.