Taliban start spring Afghan offensive with bombing

Afghan security officials stand vigil over the bodies of deputy police chief Col. Mohammad Hussain and another officer after the convoy they were traveling in Sunday was hit by a roadside bomb west of Kabul, Afghanistan. The remote-controlled roadside bomb killed three police officers, an attack the Taliban claimed as the opening round of their spring offensive. U.S.-backed efforts to try to reconcile the Islamic militant movement with the Afghan government are gaining little traction.
Afghan security officials stand vigil over the bodies of deputy police chief Col. Mohammad Hussain and another officer after the convoy they were traveling in Sunday was hit by a roadside bomb west of Kabul, Afghanistan. The remote-controlled roadside bomb killed three police officers, an attack the Taliban claimed as the opening round of their spring offensive. U.S.-backed efforts to try to reconcile the Islamic militant movement with the Afghan government are gaining little traction.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Taliban insurgents marked the start of their spring offensive on Sunday by claiming responsibility for a remote-controlled roadside bomb blast that killed three police officers.

In past years, spring has marked a significant upsurge in fighting between the Taliban and NATO forces along with their local allies. This fighting season is a key test, as the international coalition is scheduled to hand over security responsibilities to Afghan forces next year.

In Sunday's attack in Ghazni province in southern Afghanistan, a bomb exploded under police vehicles traveling to the district of Zana Khan to take part in a military operation against insurgents, Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, the province's deputy governor, told The Associated Press.

He said the blast destroyed the vehicle carrying Col. Mohammad Hussain, the deputy provincial police chief, killing him and two other officers. Ahmadi said two officers also were wounded in the insurgent operation, which he said clearly targeted Hussain.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility in an email sent to news media. He called the bombing the first attack in the Taliban spring offensive.

April already has been the deadliest month this year for attacks across the country, where Afghan security forces are increasingly taking the lead on the battlefield in the war that has lasted more than 11 years.

Insurgents have escalated attacks recently in a bid to gain power and influence ahead of next year's presidential election and the planned withdrawal of most U.S. and other foreign combat troops by the end of 2014. U.S.-backed efforts to try to reconcile the Islamic militant movement with the Afghan government are gaining little traction.

There are about 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan, including 66,000 Americans. A top priority of the U.S. force, which is slated to drop to about 32,000 by February 2014, is boosting the strength and confidence of Afghan forces.

Also Sunday, the U.S. Air Force said the coalition plane that crashed on Saturday in southern Afghanistan, killing four service members, was a MC-12 Liberty aircraft.