Taliban kill 6 Afghan police officers & 4 civilians; 80 US military helicopters in Afghanistan damaged in "unprecedented" hailstorm

Taliban fighters killed four Afghan police officers and their commander during an attack on a Afghan police patrol in western Afghanistan, authorities said on Thursday.

In Afghanistan’s eastern province of Laghman, four people returning home from a wedding were killed and another injured when a roadside bomb exploded next to their car. An Afghan police officer was also killed in the attack.

In other news: The U.S. military revealed on Thursday that a "sudden unprecedented hailstorm" struck Kandahar airfield on April 23, raining down golf ball-sized hail stones and inflicting heavy damage on more than 80 US military helicopters, ultimately grounding the choppers for weeks until repairs were completed. About eight of the helicopters are still unfit for operation. 

However, the Obama administration recently entered into a $572 million helicopter contract with Russia's state-owned arms exporter for 30 military helicopters that will go to Afghan security forces. Hence, the U.S. military could always borrow some of the Russian-made, Afghan helicopters. Or, a second option: The Obama administration could continue to enrich the aforementioned Russian arms dealers and order some additional Russian helicopters for the U.S. military in Afghanistan........

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/06/27/2992302/5-taliban-5-afghan-police-killed.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/06/27/2992302/5-taliban-5-afghan-police-killed.html#storylink