Dozens killed in Afghanistan violence

At least 26 people were killed in ambushes and gun battles around Afghanistan today.

At least 26 people were killed in ambushes and gun battles around Afghanistan today.

Three gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying police and government employees in a remote area of north-eastern Badakhshan province, killing 12 people yesterday, police said. Seven police and five government employees died.

Militant attacks are relatively uncommon in northern Afghanistan, though the area has seen a handful of suicide bomb attacks this year.

A Nato soldier died was killed by gunfire in eastern Afghanistan yesterday.

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In western Farah province, insurgents dressed in police uniforms ambushed a supply convoy escorted by private security guards yesterday. The gun battle left one guard and 12 militants dead, the provincial governor said, adding that several guards were missing.

Insurgency-related violence has left more than 4,400 dead so far this year, most of them militants.