Afghan policemen killed in Taliban attack

At least 11 Afghan policemen were killed and several others wounded in an attack on a checkpoint in the Andar District of Ghazni province, according to local officials.

Seven Taliban fighters were also killed in the attack, which occurred on Wednesday night, Deputy Provincial Governor Mohammed Ali Ahmadi said.

The attack comes after a spate of attacks by the Taliban in December leading up to the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan.

More than a dozen Afghans died in those attacks, including Atiqullah Rawoofi, the head of the secretariat of Afghanistan’s Supreme Court. Two American soldiers were also killed by a Taliban bomb.

At the end of December, NATO held a ceremony in Kabul formally ending its war in Afghanistan after 13 years of conflict. The event was carried out in secret due to the threat of Taliban strikes.

On January 1, the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat mission was replaced by a NATO “training and support” mission.

The attack on the checkpoint came as the Afghan parliament deals with controversial nominees selected by President Ashraf Ghani for his cabinet.

The presidential process started in April of last year, but the government has yet to be completed.