At least 16 policemen have been killed by suspected militants in two separate attacks in Afghanistan, officials say. Gunmen attacked police posts in Baghlan province in the north and in Helmand province in the south.
Eight policemen died in each attack. The police in Afghanistan have often been targets of militants and have suffered much heavier casualties than foreign troops.
Separately, the top US military officer arrived in Afghanistan for talks. Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm Mike Mullen is expected to hold a series of meetings with government officials. Adm Mullen's visit comes even as the first of 30,000 American troops are getting ready to arrive in Afghanistan.
One report said that two militants were also killed in the incident in Baghlan early on Monday. The attack occurred on a main highway from the capital, Kabul.
"The policemen who were killed in the attack were on duty to provide security for the military convoys and local people in the main highway in Baghlan province," provincial governor Mohammad Akbar Barakzai told the Associated Press.
At about the same time a police checkpoint was attacked in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. At least 1,000 police are reported to have been killed last year alone.
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