Policeman kills 7 colleagues

An Afghan policeman has turned his gun on his colleagues at a checkpoint in the south, killing seven policemen, a local official said.

The shooting was the latest among so-called insider attacks in which Afghan forces or gunmen in Afghan police or army uniforms turn their weapon on Afghan colleagues or Nato allies.

Doost Mohammad Nayab, a spokesman in southern Uruzgan province, said the attack happened in the provincial capital of Tirin Kot.

After killing seven policemen, the attacker stole their weapons and fled in a police car.

Mr Nayab said the shooter had Taliban connections and blamed the insurgents for the attack.