Afghan Taliban tighten squeeze on Helmand capital

Smoke billows from a building after a Taliban attack in Gereshk district of Helmand province, Afghanistan March 9, 2016. REUTERS/Abdul Malik/Files

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Taliban insurgents killed at least 15 Afghan policemen when they overran two checkpoints in Helmand province in an attack on Tuesday that sharply increased pressure on the beleaguered provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, officials said.

The attack on checkpoints in Gereshk, on the main highway through Helmand, a few kilometres to the north of the governor's compound in Lashkar Gah, and Nad Ali, to the west of the town, underlined the growing pressure on security forces clinging on in the southern province.