Two Taliban gunmen in police uniforms attacked the headquarters of police in Afghanistan's major northern city Mazar-i-Sharif on Sunday, killing two and injuring at least 18 others according to local officials. The insurgents have stepped up attacks on Afghan security forces over the summer fighting season, taking advantage of the withdrawal of foreign troops to regain strategic territory around the country.
Ambitious attacks on security forces are rare in northern Balkh province, where Sunday's incident took place, but in other parts of Afghanistan, insurgents battle the police and army daily. "It was the first such incident in Balkh province," said Abdul Razaq Qaderi the acting police chief of Balkh. "Police reacted quickly and killed both of them."