Rebels kill 19 cops in Afghanistan

The convoy of 150 police was attacked late Monday while driving on a dirt road along the side of a mountain in Helmand province, said Interior Ministry spokesman Yusuf Stanikzai.

Dozens of insurgents opened fire on the convoy, sparking a gunbattle that lasted until early Tuesday before the militants fled into the mountains, he said.

Among the 19 dead was Helmand's deputy police chief, Stanikzai said. Four police officers were wounded and four police vehicles were destroyed.

The number of fatalities is believed to be among the biggest suffered in a single attack by the fledgling Afghan police force, which started forming in late 2001.

Security forces rushed reinforcements into the area and have secured the region, the spokesman said.