At least 21 Afghan police officers were killed in three simultaneous Taliban assaults Monday night in northern Afghanistan. Although civilians were nearby, security forces fired artillery rounds to repel the militant advances.

Turkey has trained 5,397 Afghan police officers since 2001 when the first police training agreement was signed between the two countries, Ankara's diplomat in Kabul said on Dec. 21.

 Ministry of Interior on Sunday said it has sent 20 police officers to Russia to undergo professional training, as part of an ongoing capacity-building programme for police.