KANDAHAR: An Afghan policeman turned his weapon on fellow officers as they were sleeping in their quarters near a checkpoint in the countrys south, killing 10, a provincial spokesman said on Tuesday.
The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the incident, the latest so-called insider attack involving a soldier or a policeman.
The bodies were discovered at a checkpoint in Chinarto district on Tuesday, according to Dost Mohammad Nayab, the spokesman for the governor of Uruzgan province.
The shooter fled the scene after the attack late on Monday, taking all the weapons and ammunition from the checkpoint, Mr Nayab said.
The police units have launched an operation to locate and arrest the shooter, he added.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi said in a statement that the attacker was now with the Taliban.
Insider attacks have been common in Afghanistan, especially in remote areas where the Taliban have a strong presence. Taliban militants have been known to wear Afghan police or military uniforms when staging attacks on Afghan or foreign troops.
Taliban say assailant is with them now
Last week, a policeman shot dead nine comrades at a checkpoint they were manning in Dehrawad district, also in Uruzgan province. On the same day, Jan 18, another policeman killed four fellow security personnel at a checkpoint in Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand province.
The Taliban have stepped up attacks on Afghan forces in recent months. The US and Nato formally ended their combat mission at the end of 2014, leaving Afghan security forces in charge of public safety.
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