11 die in Afghan militant attacks

At least 11 police officers and a government official were killed by militant attacks in in once-calm northern Afghanistan, authorities said today.

Militants attacked a checkpoint overnight in Kunduz province near Tajikistan, killing at least six border police.

Also in Kunduz, militants remotely detonated a bomb as the chief of Qala Zal district was passing in his car, killing him and his bodyguard.

Five other police died when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in northeastern Badakshan province.

Northern Afghanistan was once relatively calm, but Taliban and other militants have become increasingly active in the past two years.

Two German soldiers were also wounded in Kunduz when their convoy hit two roadside bombs within an hour. The same patrol also fought off a small-arms attack from insurgents in the same area.