Afghanistan: 4 dead, 5 missing in Taliban attack

Suspected Taliban gunmen attacked a police checkpoint in southern Afghanistan and killed four officers and wounded two others in a fierce gunbattle, o

Suspected Taliban gunmen attacked a police checkpoint in southern Afghanistan and killed four officers and wounded two others in a fierce gunbattle, officials said Tuesday. Five other police officers were missing after the attack late Monday in Maywand district, Kandahar province, a former stronghold of the Taliban before the regime was ousted by US-led forces in 2001, said regional government chief Khan Agha Amin. The assailants fled after battling with police for about 30 minutes, and local security forces launched a manhunt for them, he said. It was not immediately clear if the Taliban suffered any casualties. They regularly take their dead and wounded with them after fighting.