Afghan officials say Taliban militants stormed a police checkpoint in
western Farah province Saturday night, killing five police officers.
The attack occurred on the outskirts of the provincial capital, Farah.
Hours earlier, in the same province, U.S.-led coalition and Afghan
troops killed two militants after coming under fire while on patrol.
Also Saturday, in eastern Logar province, Afghan security forces and NATO troops killed a prominent insurgent.
A NATO statement says the insurgent Abdullah was directly responsible
for numerous attacks in the capital, Kabul, and Logar province that
resulted in the deaths of both Afghan civilians and security forces.
On Sunday, Afghan Interior Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar said
Afghanistan plans to recruit and train 15,000 new police officers
before the nation's presidential elections scheduled for August. The
Afghan police force currently stands at about 82,000.
Taliban fighters are waging a growing insurgency in Afghanistan, and security concerns are mounting ahead of the polls.
U.S. officials have also said they expect violence to rise in the
coming months as the United States increases its troop presence in the
country.
U.S. President Barack Obama has announced plans to send an additional
21,000 troops and trainers as part of a new strategy to combat the
Taliban insurgency.