At least 30 people were killed and four injured infighting across Afghanistan, officials said Monday. In Helmand province, gunmen killed 17 civilians including two women in a remote area in Kajaki district on Sunday night, according to officials. Interior Ministry in a statement said that the civilians were beheaded by Taliban militants while a local official in Helmand said that the civilians were shot dead. The ministry blamed Taliban militants, calling the beheadings an “inhumane and cowardly act of the enemies of peace and stability. " "We still don't have exact information regarding the killing, the area is under the Taliban control so we can't send a delegation for assessment," Daud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor said. Another official who spoke on condition of anonymity told dpa that15 mostly young men and two female dancers were beheaded or shot dead for holding a party. Separately, 10 Afghan soldiers were killed and four injured when suspected Taliban militants attacked a checkpoint Sunday night in another district of the same province. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their fighters had killed 16 soldiers.
