2 Spanish police killed in Afghanistan

[Blue_Tires]

Source: AP

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan police and Spanish troops clashed early Wednesday outside a base in western Afghanistan, leaving at least one policeman dead, local officials said.

The cause of the incident in western Badghis province's Qalay-I-Naw district was under investigation, said provincial government spokesman Sharafuddin Majidi.

Majid Khan Shkib, a member of the provincial council, said it wasn't clear who had fired first and there were unconfirmed reports of casualties among the Spanish troops.

Shkib said there were suspicions that Taliban fighters, who are active in the remote area, had infiltrated the local police force — an increasingly common tactic among the insurgents.

Following the officer's shooting, hundreds of area residents gathered at the gate to the Spanish camp, chanting and throwing stones before moving on to the provincial government offices, the officials said.

The international security force said it had been told of the incident and was investigating.

U.S. troops faced a similar incident on Monday, when they fired warning shots to disperse a protest near the main coalition air base in Afghanistan over the arrest of a religious leader suspected of a rocket attack.


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