3 police killed in eastern Afghan blast

Three police were killed and four others wounded in a bomb attack in eastern Afghan province of Laghman on Thursday morning, sources said.
"An Afghan Local Police (ALP) vehicle set off a roadside planted bomb, and the explosion killed three ALP cops and injured four other police," the provincial government said in a statement.
An ALP commander Mohammadulla was among the killed in the blast which took place in Badpakh district at around 05:00 a.m. local time, according to the statement.
The ALP, or community police, was established in 2010 to protect villages and districts around country where army and police have limited presence.
The Taliban insurgent group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched an annual offensive against Afghan government forces and nearly 50,000 NATO-led troops stationed in the country in mid-May.
On Wednesday evening, four civilians were killed when their vehicle ran over a Taliban roadside bomb in Khanshin district of southern Helmand province.
In another development, the Taliban released 21 ALP policemen overnight who were kidnapped by the militants during clashes in Chardara district of northern Kunduz province on Tuesday, the district governor Zulmai Farooqi told Xinhua, adding the local leaders have facilitated the release of the police officers.