Afghan policeman kills 10 colleagues; Taliban claim attack

At least 10 Afghan policemen were reportedly shot dead by one of their colleagues, suspected to be Taliban infiltrator, in the Chinarto district of Afghanistan's Uruzgan province on Tuesday. The Taliban, who took responsibility for the attack, however claimed the death of nine police personnel.

The accused reportedly drugged the policemen before shooting them dead. "Our investigation shows this policeman collaborated with the Taliban, drugged his colleagues and killed them when they were unconscious," Uruzgan governor's spokesperson Dost Mohammad Nayab told AFP.

The "Taliban infiltrator" fled the scene after stealing the weapons of the policemen. The Afghan Police have launched a search operation, provincial police deputy chief Rahimullah Khan said.

This is the second insider attack in the Uruzgan province in less than 10 days. On 17 January, four Afghan policemen, said to be Taliban infiltrators, killed nine of their colleagues at a police checkpoint.

However, Taliban had not claimed the responsibility then, according to Reuters.