The policewomen and civilian died when their vehicle was blown up by a remote-controlled mine on their way to the civilian airport serving the western city of Herat where they were employed, officials said.
Three foreign soldiers were also killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in eastern Afghanistan Wednesday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said, later adding that another three died in another IED attack in the south, along with two others in separate incidents.
News of the latest deaths came a day after the United Nations released figures saying violent incidents in the Afghan war increased nearly 40 percent in the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year.
ISAF, leading efforts to reverse the Taliban insurgency, disputed the UN figures, saying attacks were down two percent in the first eight months of this year.
Mohammad Rafiq Shaheer, a spokesman for Herat hospital, said: "A remote-controlled mine explosion on a police vehicle on the Herat airport road has killed three people, two policewomen and a civilian, and wounded 10 people, four policewomen and a policeman and five other civilians."
He added that the attack took place at around 8:00am (0330 GMT).
Noor Khan Neikzad, a police spokesman in Herat, confirmed the blast but said he did not have the toll.
At least 466 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year, according to an AFP tally based on that kept by the independent website iCasualties.org.
There are 140,000 foreign forces in Afghanistan, some 100,000 of them from the United States, fighting a Taliban-led insurgency.
All combat troops are due to leave by the end of 2014 although thousands are likely to remain in training and mentoring roles. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
