At least 26 Afghan police and soldiers killed in Taliban siege

Taliban terrorists have surrounded a police compound in the unstable southern province of Helmand after killing 19 policemen and seven soldiers in an ongoing siege, a senior police officer said from inside the compound.

Napas Khan, the police chief in the NawZad district, told The Associated Press by telephone that the insurgents had advanced to within 20 meters of the compound after seizing police vehicles and weapons and blocking all roads out of NawZad.

He said the attack started at before dawn when the insurgents overran multiple police checkpoints across the district.

Helmand has long been a heartland for the Taliban, who profit heavily from opium produced in its fertile river valley.