A deadly incident at a checkpoint in the southern province of Kandahar claimed the lives of four Afghan policemen late Wednesday night. During the incident, one of the four policemen's colleagues opened fire on them as they were eating dinner, according to Pulse News.
Kandahar police spokesman Zia ul-Rahman Durrani has confirmed the incident, stating that the gunman had been in the police force for the last two years. Immediately after the fatal attack, however, the gunman was eventually shot and killed by another officer as he attempted to flee the scene.
"The attacker was shot and killed as he tried to flee," the police spokesman said, Leadership News reported.
Seven others were injured during the attack.
Upon initial investigation, it was found that the attacker was a member of the deadly Taliban militant group, which later claimed responsibility for the fatal incident.
The province of Kandahar is widely considered by the Taliban as one of their bastions, together with Helmand, a nearby province with numerous poppy plantations. It has been said that the province's poppies account for most of the world's heroin, according to the Associated Press.
With the Taliban's activity increasing in intensity in both Kandahar and Helmand, the U.S. military has pledged to increase its military presence in the region in order to give Afghan forces, who have been battling the insurgents for months, a significant boost in both firepower and morale.
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