POLITICS Afghan official: Taliban hit southern city, kill 12 police KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan policeman says 12 of his men were killed by Taliban fighters who attacked checkpoints around Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand province. Haji Gran, chief of the city's police district 2, said Tuesday that the Taliban attacked four checkpoints late on Monday, killing 12 and wounding another 11 policemen.

(1 of 1) An Afghan soldier raises his hands as a victory sign, in Kunduz city, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghan officials said Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016, that fierce gunbattles are underway for a second day across the embattled northern city of Kunduz after the Taliban launched a new, multipronged attack on the city they briefly captured last year. Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi says Afghan security forces are “trying to secure the city” but that Taliban gunmen are hiding in residential homes, making progress slow and difficult.

October 04, 2016

Lashkah Gar has been under threat of Taliban takeover for months as insurgents have been slowly taking control of Helmand since the beginning of the year. The provincial spokesman, Omar Zwak, says Khanashin district in the south of the province had fallen to the Taliban after coming under attack on Monday.

He says that in recent days, around 45 members of Afghan security forces have been killed in fighting there and more than 15 have been taken captive.