31 killed in Afghan clash

KABUL - Ten Afghan policemen and 21 Taliban fighters were killed in a clash in central Afghanistan after militants attacked a police post, the interior ministry said Monday.

A group of insurgents attacked police in Kejran district of the central province of Daikundi Sunday, the ministry said.

The policemen killed 21 insurgents, it said. “Regrettably, 10 police forces were also martyred and seven others were injured during the attack.”

The attack in isolated Daikundi, where Taliban violence is rare, happened amid an increase in militancy in southern and eastern regions of the country.

President Hamid Karzai travelled Sunday to the southern province of Kandahar, where he sought support of local residents for an offensive in the region by Afghan and NATO forces which is to start in coming months.

Violence is expected to mount throughout Afghanistan as 30,000 extra US soldiers and thousands of troops from other NATO members are to arrive by summer. With additional deployment, the total number of foreign troops is set to peak at 150,000.

Afghan and international troops also killed one insurgent and detained six others in the northern province of Kunduz Sunday night, NATO said Monday.