Eight die in Afghan checkpoint raid

Eight Afghan policemen were killed in an attack today near a southern city that is seen as a pioneer in transition from Nato to Afghan control over security.

The pre-dawn attack targeted a police checkpoint near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, where the insurgency has strongholds.

Another policeman who was part of the group manning the checkpoint was missing, and that authorities were investigating whether he might have been involved in the attack.

On Tuesday a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed vehicle into a police truck in Lashkar Gah, killing two civilians. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.

Lashkar Gah was one of five provincial capitals and two provinces chosen to start the transition from Nato to Afghan control this summer.

The international coalition hopes to use the security zone around the provincial capital and the central Helmand River Valley as a foothold to push Afghan governance into outlying areas.

Nato plans to withdraw combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.