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.
