Afghan police officers killed in Taliban attack

Taliban militants are reported to have attacked a checkpoint in Jawzjan province late on Saturday.

At least seven police officers were killed in the roadside bombing and around five others were injured.

"A group of insurgents attacked a local police outpost Saturday night in a remote area in Qashtepa district," said regional police chief Abdul Mannan Raoufi.

He said reinforcements were sent to the scene and several insurgents died in a gunbattle.

"Five insurgents were also killed and six were injured," Raoufi said.

The Taliban are reported to have claimed responsibility for the attack.

Cultural center bombing claims second victim

An Afghan reporter wounded in a suicide attack earlier this month on a French cultural center has died.

Zubair Hatami, 22, sustained serious injuries in the incident in the capital, Kabul, on December 11.

Hatami is reported to have worked as a cameraman for the privately-run media outlet, Mitra Television.

A German aid worker was among several people who died at the scene when a teenage suicide bomber blew himself up during a performance at the Itsiqlal High School.

The dance and music show condemned the frequent suicide attacks that occur in Kabul and across the rest of Afghanistan.

A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying the performance was "desecrating Islamic values" and was "propaganda against jihad."

lw/pfd (AP, AFP, dpa)