Afghan policeman kills five colleagues

A member of Afghanistan's government-backed militia programme has shot and killed five of his colleagues, an official said today.

The shooting happened yesterday morning in a remote part of Badghis province's Qadis district, said provincial government spokesman Mirwais Mirzakwal.

He said he did not have further details because the region is difficult to reach over the telephone but that investigators have been sent to the site of the shooting.

The attacker was a member of the Afghan Local Police, a programme in which the government in Kabul and international allies train and fund villagers to mount defence forces against insurgents.

It was the latest in a string of insider attacks by members of the Afghan security forces against colleagues or international advisers.

Such attacks threaten the strength of the Afghan forces as they work to take over responsibility from international troops. Afghan forces are scheduled to take over security responsibility for the entire country sometime next year.

AP