Afghan official says Taliban attacks killed 12 policemen

Also, seven police officers were wounded in the attacks and seven others were missing, presumably abducted by the Taliban.

The attacks, which took place in the province’s Gereshk district, were launched on Sunday night and lasted for many hours, said Hismatullah Daulatzai, head of police for the greater Helmand zone.

The 15-year insurgency has intensified across the south as the Taliban concentrate their war on Helmand, Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces.

 Many of the attacks target police checkpoints, with Taliban fighters stealing weapons, ammunition and vehicles and often abducting Afghan forces.

The fight in the southern, opium poppy-producing region is led by Mullah Yaqoub, the son of the one-eyed founder and late leaders of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar.