Six Afghan Police Poisoned, Killed in Suspected Insider Attack

“Insider attack” incidents are getting more and more common in Afghanistan, and the Afghan Local Police (ALP) have experienced their second such attack this week, ruling an overnight attack in Kunduz, which killed six police, an inside job.

The killings took place in Dasht-e Archi District, and six police officers at a remote outpost were found poisoned and shot to death. The seventh officer from the post was missing, and is presumed to have joined the attackers.

It echoes the Sunday incident in Ghazni, where six ALP were killed and another was wounded as they slept in their base. The eighth member in that case also disappeared and reportedly joined the Taliban.

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.