Gunmen kill police officer, kidnap public rep

CHARIKAR): A police officer was killed during a clash with insurgents, who also kidnapped a provincial council member, in central Bamyan province, officials said on Friday.

Ziaul Haq, the Siah Gird district deputy police chief, was killed after a group of fighters stormed a security post in the Rangah area, where the public representative was also seized.

The gunmen intercepted Jawad Zahak’s car on the way to Bamyan City, got him down and whisked him away in another car, said the district chief, Abdul Halim Mujaddedi.

The firefight between police and attackers lasted three hours, Mujaddedi said, adding the deputy police chief was killed as a result.

A resident, Ghulam Sarwar, said the attackers also abducted some policemen. Mujaddedi said police had launched operations in several parts of the district to rescue Zahak.

A few days ago, a former jihadi leader, Abdul Aziz, was killed after being kidnapped by the militants on the charge of cooperating with the government.

Local officials blamed the rebels for the attack and kidnapping, though there has been no word so far about the incident from the rebels.

ma/mud

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