13 killed in Afghanistan

KABUL - Four policemen and nine private security guards were killed in roadside bombings and militant ambushes in southern and western Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

Four policemen were killed Tuesday in the western province of Farah when a roadside bomb blew up their vehicle, the ministry said.

In a separate attack, Taliban insurgents ambushed a convoy of a private security company Monday in the Shar-e-Safa district of the southern province of Zabul, killing six guards and injuring five, the ministry said.

Three other guards were killed and two were injured Monday in a similar attack in the neighbouring province of Ghazni, it said.

Two suspected insurgents were also killed Tuesday when the bomb they were trying to plant on a road in Ghazni exploded, the ministry said.

Afghan and foreign troops as well as Taliban militants have increased their operations since spring. The militants rely mainly on the use of roadside bombs.

The insurgents’ use of homemade bombs increased by 94 percent in the first four months of this year, compared with the same period in 2009, according to the United Nations.