Seven Afghan police poisoned then shot dead

Seven Afghan policemen manning a checkpoint in the restive southern province of Helmand were fed poisonous food and later shot dead, said a statement from the Helmand governor's office on Tuesday.

The incident took place on Monday in the main provincial city of Lashkar Gah, which is due to be handed from foreign to local control in an official ceremony on Wednesday.

"These police, who were guarding the checkpoint of the Sarkar area of Lashkar Gah city, were killed on Monday around 2pm (0930 GMT) by the insurgents who at first made the police unconscious by food poisoning and then killed them by gunfire," said the statement.

It said the attackers escaped with their weapons in vehicles.

"Investigations are ongoing regarding how the incident happened," it said. In a separate incident, it said two civilians were kidnapped and killed by insurgents.