Militants kill six in Afghan attacks: Afghan police

Officials at the Ministry of Interior say wounded civilians in the Barmal district of Paktika province have been taken to hospital and that police are investigating the attack. — File Photo

KABUL: On Sunday, the first day of the Taliban’s announced spring offensive, militants staged attacks in two Afghan provinces, killing five people, including two policemen, according to government officials.
A man wearing a vest packed with explosives blew himself up in a bazaar in the Barmal district of Paktika province on the border with Pakistan killing three civilians and wounding 11, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
In the southwest province of Ghazni, a gunman opened fire on a checkpoint, killing two policemen and wounding a bystander during an hour long battle, provincial police Chief Zerawar Zahid said.
The attacks marked the first day of the Taliban’s spring offensive. In a statement released Saturday, the insurgent movement announced it would step up operations against military bases, convoys and Afghan officials, including members of the peace council working to reconcile with top insurgent leaders.