Afghanistan launches probe over police deaths

GHAZNI, Afghanistan: Kabul on Sunday announced it would launch an investigation into the deaths of more than 20 policemen killed in a battle with the Taliban, after relatives accused the government of failing to provide timely assistance.
Hundreds of Taliban fighters launched a raid on several check posts manned by local police in the Jalrez district of eastern Wardak province on Thursday night, triggering a battle that lasted around 24 hours.
Around 23 Afghan Local Police — a militia hired and controlled by the government — were killed, officials said, with some of the dead bodies decapitated.
President Ashraf Ghani termed the killings a “war crime” and called for an investigation, according to a statement by his office on Sunday.
Hundreds of fresh forces who arrived in Jalrez on Saturday took back territory lost to the insurgents, but the families of the victims — all from the Hazara ethnic minority — said the government had failed to provide ammunition and reinforcements in time.