Officials: Six Afghan Police Killed in ‘Insider Attack’

Officer Let Taliban into Base, Joined Them as They Left

An incident of Taliban forces killing six Afghan Local Police (ALP) has been chalked up to an insider attack according to officials, who say that one of the other ALP let the Taliban into the base as the others slept, then joined them.

In addition to the six killed, a seventh ALP was reported wounded in the attack, in Ghazni Province. Unconfirmed reports from some officials say an eighth person was still at the base unharmed, and that he has been detained as a possible suspect.

The US-funded ALP are not officially part of the Afghan government, but rather are given police powers as independent factions. The groups were founded on the assumption that with steady pay, warlords that are pro-Taliban could be convinced to change sides.

Though it seemed to have worked for awhile, with an increasing number of insider attackers even among the regular security forces, the irregular groups with their lower recruitment standards may be fertile ground for the Taliban to find supporters.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.