2 policemen killed in eastern Afghan explosion

Two policemen were killed and three others wounded early Sunday morning in bombing in the Eastern Afghan province of Laghman, authorities said. One Afghan National Police (ANP) vehicle with five people aboard touched off a roadside bomb in Islamabad area of the Alishing district early Sunday morning. The blast killed two officers and wounded three others, the provincial government said in a statement. "They were traveling to Salab area of the district to respond to a militants' attack on an Afghan Local Police (ALP) checkpoint, " it said. The engagement between militants and ALP has led to death and injuries of several militants but no member of ALP was hurt in the clash, it noted, without providing more details. 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 uses Improvised explosive device ( IED) to launch roadside bombing against security forces. The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched annual rebel offensive in April against Afghan government forces and about 98,000 NATO-led troops stationed in the country.