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, AP reported.
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.