Mitarlam: Four police officers, including a district police chief, were killed in a bomb blast in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Laghman on Tuesday, the provincial government confirmed.

“Alingar district police Chief Colonel Harif Saadat was martyred together with three police officers following an improvised explosive device attack in Miskinabad locality of Alingar,” the government said in a statement.

Two police officers were wounded and a police vehicle was destroyed in the attack which occurred roughly at midday, the statement added.

The injured police personnel did not suffer life-threatening wounds.

The statement blamed enemies of peace, referring to the Taliban militant group, for the attack.

The Afghan security forces’ casualties have risen since the beginning of 2015 when Afghan soldiers and police assumed full responsibilities of security from the US and NATO troops.

Nearly 40 Afghan security force members lost their lives during clashes and blasts elsewhere in the country within the past several days. ( (Xinhua/ UNI)