Afghanistan, Kandahar: A provincial spokesman said on Tuesday, an Afghan policeman turned his weapon on fellow officers as they were sleeping in their quarters near a checkpoint in the country’s south, killing ten. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the incident, the latest so-called “insider attack” involving a soldier or a policeman.

The bodies were discovered at a checkpoint in Chinarto district on Tuesday, according to Dost Mohammad Nayab, the spokesman for the governor of Uruzgan province. The shooter fled the scene after the attack late on Monday, taking all the weapons and ammunition from the checkpoint, Mr Nayab said. He added, “The police units have launched an operation to locate and arrest the shooter”.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi said in a statement that the attacker was now with the Taliban. Insider attacks have been common in Afghanistan, especially in remote areas where the Taliban have a strong presence. Taliban militants have been known to wear Afghan police or military uniforms when staging attacks on Afghan or foreign troops.