Insurgents overrun police checkpoint in Afghan north, behead 6 officers inside, NATO says

Insurgents behead 6 Afghan police in north: NATO

KABUL, Afghanistan — Insurgents beheaded six policemen after attacking their checkpoint in northern Afghanistan, NATO said Wednesday.

The military coalition said the militants attacked a number of government buildings Tuesday in Baghlan province’s Dahanah-ye Ghori district. The attackers overran the checkpoint and decapitated the six policemen, NATO said.

Also Wednesday, a NATO service member was killed by an explosion in the south, according to NATO. NATO did not release the nationality of the victim, but the Danish military said he was a Dane. The death brought the number of NATO service members killed this month to 65.

Violence and casualties have surged in recent months in Afghanistan. June was the deadliest month for U.S. and international forces with the deaths of 103 service members, including 60 Americans.

Elsewhere, the Australian defense ministry said the main NATO base outside the southern city of Kandahar came under Taliban rocket fire late Monday, causing minor damage to an Australian facility but no Australian casualties.

No further details were released. The NATO base at the Kandahar Air Field comes under rocket and mortar fire from time to time, usually without causing major damage or casualties.