Afghan officials say 10 police officers and the wife of a police commander have been killed in an attack in the northern province of Zawzjan.

Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the officers were ambushed on February 24 as they were coming out of a mosque in the Darzab district.

A local police commander was among the dead and his wife was also killed when she rushed to the scene, Ghafori added.

Brigadier General Rahmatullah Turkistani, the provincial police chief, said four militants were killed and six others wounded in retaliatory firing.

Ghafori blamed the attack on Islamic State (IS) militants, but the Taliban claimed responsibility.

IS-linked militants have been active in eastern Afghanistan, but have recently begun operating in the north of the country as well. The Taliban frequently target officials and security forces across Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Pajhwok</s>Afghan officials say 10 police officers and the wife of a police commander have been killed in an attack in the northern province of Zawzjan.

Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the officers were ambushed on February 24 as they were coming out of a mosque in the Darzab district.

A local police commander was among the dead and his wife was also killed when she rushed to the scene, Ghafori added.

Brigadier General Rahmatullah Turkistani, the provincial police chief, said four militants were killed and six others wounded in retaliatory firing.

Ghafori blamed the attack on Islamic State (IS) militants, but the Taliban claimed responsibility.

IS-linked militants have been active in eastern Afghanistan, but have recently begun operating in the north of the country as well. The Taliban frequently target officials and security forces across Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Pajhwok

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
• IS in Afghanistan: How successful has the group been?</s>Earlier this month ISIL was blamed for killing six Afghan Red Cross employees in Jowzjan province [File: AFP/Getty Images] Ten police officers and the wife of a commander have been killed in an ambush outside a mosque by Taliban fighters in northern Afghanistan. Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the Jowzjan provincial governor, said on Saturday the police officers were attacked on Friday as they were coming out of the mosque.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Al Jazeera.</s>Taliban claims responsibility for deadly attack in Jowzaz province as officials blame ISIL.

Ten police officers and the wife of a commander have been killed in an ambush outside a mosque by Taliban fighters in northern Afghanistan.

Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the Jowzjan provincial governor, said on Saturday the police officers were attacked on Friday as they were coming out of the mosque.

The wife of the police commander heard about her husband being shot and rushed to the scene, where she was also killed in Sardar village of Darzab district, Ghafori said.

Officials blamed the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) for the deadly attack.

However, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for Taliban, said on Twitter his group killed the policemen and captured the village.

It wasn't possible to independently confirm either claim.

ISIL-linked fighters have been active in Afghanistan's eastern regions, but have recently begun operating in the north of the country as well.

In Jowzjan province earlier this month, ISIL was blamed for killing at least six Afghan employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross who were carrying supplies to areas hit by deadly snowstorms. Another two staff remain unaccounted for.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — At least 10 police officers and the wife of a police commander were killed in an ambush by Islamic States group militants in northern Zawzjan province, a provincial official said.



Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the Zawzjan provincial governor, said Saturday that the police officers were ambushed Friday as they were coming out of a mosque. The wife of the police commander heard about her husband being shot and rushed to the scene, where she was also killed.



IS-linked militants have been active in Afghanistan's eastern regions, but have recently begun operating in the north of the country as well.



Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that around 38 militants, including 23 IS fighters, were killed in separate operations conducted by Afghan security forces in the eastern and southern regions of the country over the past two days.



Eight other militants were wounded and six arrested in the operations, which were conducted in districts across the Nangarhar and Helmand provinces, the statement added.



In another report form eastern Laghman province, two students were killed when a mortar struck a school's classroom, a news release from the Education ministry said. The statement added that five other students were wounded inside the classroom in Mihterlam, the province's capital.



There were unconfirmed reports the mortar was fired by Afghan security forces and missed its target and hit the school. The report could not immediately be verified by provincial or government officials.



In a separate report form northern Faryab province at least one police officer was killed when a remotely controlled bomb went off inside a bazaar, said Karim Yuresh, the spokesman for the provincial police chief.



He said that 16 others including 15 innocent civilians and a policeman were wounded in the blast. "The blast took place inside a market where innocent civilians were busy with their daily businesses," said Yuresh. He added that the intended target were the two policemen in the market.



No group has claimed responsibility for the Faryab attackn, but Taliban insurgents usually use roadside bombs and suicide attacks to target Afghan security forces as well as government officials across the country.</s>Alwaght- ISIS terrorists killed almost a dozen people in a mosque ambush in northern Afghanistan, a local official says.

10 Afghan police officers and the wife of a police commander were killed in the country’s northern Jowzjan Province while leaving a mosque.

Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the commander’s wife was gunned down when she rushed to the scene after hearing about her husband being shot.

Afghanistan faces many security challenges years after the US and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but many areas in the country are still beset with insecurity.

Despite the presence of thousands of foreign boots on the ground, Afghanistan has been rocked by a surge in terrorist attacks, some of them carried out by Daesh.

The rise of ISIS in Afghanistan has raised concerns in the Asian country that has already been torn apart by decades of Taliban-led militancy and the US-led invasion.</s>Nearly a dozen people have been shot dead in an ambush by Takfiri Daesh terrorists in northern Afghanistan, a local official says.

The fatalities, including 10 Afghan police officers and the wife of a police commander, occurred in the country’s northern Jowzjan Province after the victims came under attack while leaving a mosque.

Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the commander’s wife was gunned down when she rushed to the scene after hearing about her husband being shot.

Afghanistan faces many security challenges years after the US and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but many areas in the country are still beset with insecurity.

Despite the presence of thousands of foreign boots on the ground, Afghanistan has been rocked by a surge in terrorist attacks, some of them carried out by Daesh.

The rise of Daesh in Afghanistan has raised concerns in the Asian country that has already been torn apart by decades of Taliban-led militancy and the US-led invasion.

Civilian casualties in 2016 were the highest recorded by the United Nations since 2009, with nearly 11,500 non-combatants killed or wounded.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says that 10 police officers and the wife of a police commander have been killed by Islamic State militants in northern Zawzjan province.

Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the Zawzjan provincial governor, said Saturday that the police officers were ambushed Friday as they were coming out of a mosque. The wife of the police commander heard about her husband being shot and rushed to the scene, where she was also killed.

IS-linked militants have been active in Afghanistan’s eastern regions, but have recently begun operating in the north of the country as well.</s>At least 10 police officers and the wife of a police commander were killed in an ambush by Islamic States group militants in northern Zawzjan province, a provincial official said.

Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the Zawzjan provincial governor, said Saturday that the police officers were ambushed Friday as they were coming out of a mosque. The wife of the police commander heard about her husband being shot and rushed to the scene, where she was also killed.

IS-linked militants have been active in Afghanistan's eastern regions, but have recently begun operating in the north of the country as well.

Meanwhile, the Interior ministry in a statement sent to media said that around 38 militants, including 23 IS terrorists, were killed in separate operations conducted by Afghan security forces in east and southern regions of the country over the last two days.

Eight other militants were wounded and six arrested in the operations, which were conducted in districts in both eastern Nangarhar and southern Helmand provinces, the statement added.

In another report form eastern Laghman province, two students were killed when a mortar struck a classroom in a school, a news release from the Education ministry said. The statement added that five other students were wounded inside the classroom in Mihterlam, the capital of the province.

It was not clear from which side of the fight the mortar was fired, but there were unconfirmed reports the mortar was fired by Afghan security forces and missed its target and hit the school, the report could not immediately be verified by provincial or government officials.</s>KABUL—At least 10 police officers and the wife of a police commander were killed in an ambush by Daesh militants in northern Zawzjan province, a provincial official said.

Mohammad Reza Ghafori, spokesman for the Zawzjan provincial governor, said Saturday that the police officers were ambushed Friday as they were coming out of a mosque. The wife of the police commander heard about her husband being shot and rushed to the scene, where she was also killed.

Daesh-linked militants have been active in Afghanistan’s eastern regions, but have recently begun operating in the north of the country as well.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that around 38 militants, including 23 Daesh fighters, were killed in separate operations conducted by Afghan security forces in the eastern and southern regions of the country over the past two days.

Eight other militants were wounded and six arrested in the operations, which were conducted in districts across the Nangarhar and Helmand provinces, the statement added.
According to officials, at least 11 people, mostly police officers, are killed outside a mosque in Jowzjan Province in an ambush by militants. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.