Eight policemen killed at Afghan checkpoint

Gunmen have killed eight police officers at a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan.

Gunmen have killed eight police officers at a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan.

Kandahar's police chief said the gunmen threw a grenade at the checkpoint before spraying the policemen with gunfire. 

He said the attack happened in Kandahar's Panjwayi district late yesterday. One officer was also wounded and two others are missing.

The area is known as a base for Taliban militants.

Last year, more than 8,000 people were killed in insurgency-related attacks in Afghanistan - the most since the 2001 US-led invasion. Violence has claimed more than 1,700 lives so far this year.

AP