Policeman killed by Taleban says he's very much alive

A Taleban spokesman claims that the insurgent movement killed the deputy chief of Ghorak district of the southern province of Kandahar and his bodyguards in an ambush late on November 11 in the Sangin district of the southern province of Helmand.

But Mohammad Karim, the deputy police chief concerned, denied the claim, saying that he was attacked by a group of Taleban while travelling from Sangin to central Helmand. In the ensuing firefight, two Taleban fighters were killed and one policeman was wounded, he said. Taleban insurgents have stepped up their attacks in southern provinces, causing concerns for local residents.