Official: 3 police officers killed while removing roadside bomb in Afghanistan

KABUL – An Afghan official says a police chief and two other officers were killed when a roadside bomb exploded while they were on a demining mission in the southern Gazni province.

Abdul Azim Farooqi, governor of the Waghaz district, said the district chief of police Mohammad Qasim had gone with other officers to remove a roadside bomb planted by Taliban insurgents. When they removed the bomb another mine concealed under it exploded, killing Qasim and two other officers, and wounding a third policeman.

The attack came as the Taliban intensify their spring offensive in a bid to undermine the Western-backed government as foreign combat troops prepare to withdraw from the country by the end of the year.