According to officials, an Afghan policeman attacked and killed three other officers in the Balkh Province overnight Saturday. He looted all weapons and ammunition from the checkpoint and fled.



Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed the incident, saying that the attacker had joined the Taliban since carrying out the insider attack. The Balkh Province is not generally a high combat area.



This is fairly standard Taliban strategy, whether with infiltrators or not, as overrunning and securing police checkpoints and outposts has been a main source of weapons and vehicles for them for much of the war.



Insider attacks have become a mounting problem in recent years, as the Afghan government recruits security forces with very little screening, making it easy for infiltrators to get in, get access to arms, and get out.





Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz