Taliban kill 11 Afghan police in attack on checkpoints

Taliban insurgents attacked checkpoints in the southern Helmand province early Sunday, killing 11 police, an official said.

Omar Zwak, the spokesman for the provincial governor, said Afghan forces eventually repelled the attack in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah. He said the insurgents also suffered casualties, without providing figures.

The Taliban, who have a strong and growing presence in Helmand, claimed the attack. The insurgents launch near-daily attacks across the country, mainly targeting security forces.

In the southern Kandahar province, a suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of foreign forces, killing an Afghan woman and wounding five other civilian bystanders, said Gen. Abdul Raziq, the Kandahar police chief. He said he did not know if any foreign forces were killed or wounded.

A spokesman for the coalition said he was not immediately able to confirm reports of the attack.