10 Afghan security forces killed in attacks

Insurgent attacks and a roadside bomb killed 10 Afghan security force members in at least four incidents across Afghanistan, officials said today.

Violence in Afghanistan is expected to rise sharply in coming months as the U.S. sends in thousands of new troops to battle an increasingly powerful Taliban insurgency.

On Friday, President Barack Obama announced a new US strategy to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat" al-Qaida in the Afghan-Pakistan region by increasing civilian and military assistance on both sides of the border, a strategy that drew praise from leaders in both countries.

In the latest violence, a roadside bomb killed three Afghan army commandos on patrol Saturday in eastern Paktia province's Gardez district, a US military statement said. Four other soldiers were wounded.

In the west, militants attacked a police convoy traveling between Badghis and Farah provinces Sunday. The attack killed four police and wounded the chief government official in Badghis' Qadis district, said Rauf Ahmadi, a police spokesman for western Afghanistan.

A battle between police and militants late Saturday in Farah killed three Taliban and one police officer in the west, Ahmadi said.

Also on Saturday, a clash between militants and insurgents in the western province of Herat killed three militants and one police officer, said Gen. Ismatullah Alizai, while a roadside bomb killed one policeman in the eastern province of Kunar.

Hundreds of Afghan police have died in attacks in the last two years. The country's police have less training and equipment than the Afghan army.