KABUL: At least three police officers were killed after a group of Taliban suicide bombers attacked a police station in eastern Logar province, provincial officials said Wednesday.
The slain police included the commander of the police station, another officer and the deputy director of traffic police for Logar’s capital of Puli Alim, said Khalid Safi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.
In addition, 12 others including four police and eight civilians were wounded in the Wednesday morning attack, said Shah Poor Ahmadzai, spokesman for the provincial police chief. Two young children were among those wounded, he said.
The attack began when a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle full of explosives close to the police building. Three other suicide bombers then tried to enter into the compound, Ahmadzai said. The three were shot and killed by security forces within five minutes of the gunbattle, he said.
A number of civilian houses were damaged by the car bomb, he said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Taliban have stepped up their attacks against Afghan security forces as well as government officials since the announcement of their spring offensive in April across the country.
Taliban suicide bombers kill 3 police, wound 12 in Afghanistan
Taliban suicide bombers kill 3 police, wound 12 in Afghanistan
Germany plays down threat of US invading Greenland after talks
WASHINGTON: Germany’s top diplomat on Monday played down the risk of a US attack on Greenland, after President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to seize the island from NATO ally Denmark.
Asked after meeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio about a unilateral military move by Trump, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said: “I have no indication that this is being seriously considered.”
“Rather, I believe there is a common interest in addressing the security issues that arise in the Arctic region, and that we should and will do so,” he told reporters.
“NATO is only now in the process of developing more concrete plans on this, and these will then be discussed jointly with our US partners.”
Wadephul’s visit comes ahead of talks this week in Washington between Rubio and the top diplomats of Denmark and Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Trump in recent days has vowed that the United States will take Greenland “one way or the other” and said he can do it “the nice way or the more difficult way.”
Greenland’s government on Monday repeated that it would not accept a US takeover under “any circumstance.”
Greenland and NATO also said Monday that they were working on bolstering defense of the Arctic territory, a key concern cited by Trump.
Trump has repeatedly pointed to growing Arctic activity by Russia and China as a reason why the United States needs to take over Greenland.
But he has also spoken more broadly of his desire to expand the land mass controlled by the United States.
