A TALIBAN ambush of a police convoy in western Afghanistan left 20 policemen dead, officials said yesterday, as minority Shiite residents in the capital, Kabul, took to the streets for the second day to protest the arrest of a local militia commander.

The ambush took place Sunday afternoon in western Farah province, according to Dadullah Qaneh, a member of the provincial council. Four policemen, including the deputy provincial police chief, were wounded in the attack near Lash wa Juwayn district.

The convoy was on its way to the district to introduce the newly appointed district police chief when it came under attack, said another council member, Abdul Samad Salehi. The newly appointed chief was also killed, said Qaneh.

The Taliban, who in recent years have taken over nearly half of Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of brutal, near-daily Taliban assaults on Afghan military and security forces throughout the country.

The Taliban view the U.S.-backed government in Kabul as a dysfunctional Western puppet and have refused repeated offers to negotiate with it.

Meanwhile, demonstrators blocked all roads in the western section of Kabul for a second day yesterday, protesting the arrest of Alipoor, who leads a Shiite militia in the western Ghor province and who goes by one name. It was not clear what he is charged with, but state-allied militias are often accused of extortion and other mafia-like behavior.

On Sunday, hundreds clashed with police during the protest. Three policemen were shot and wounded and another 20 were hit by stones thrown by the protesters, who torched two police checkpoints. During a previous attempt to arrest Alipoor in June, security forces in Ghor clashed with his followers, leading to the deaths of seven civilians and four policemen. (SD-Agencies)