Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A police commander and 13 junior officers in western Afghanistan have joined the Taliban in a move that is new and troubling for the struggling nation as international forces prepare to depart. The commander, known only as Mirwais, had been with the Afghan National Police for a year and was in charge of two police stations and 20 officers in the Bala Boluk district of western Farah province, bordering Iran, said Abdul Rahman Zhewandai, a spokesman for the provincial governor. He said the seven officers who refused to defect with Mirwais were found poisoned but they all survived.
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A police commander took 13 junior officers and equipment with him to join the Taliban
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The defections were a first in Farah province, said a provincial spokesman
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The Taliban has been active in the province, officials say
Afghanistan
Afghanistan
There have been several incidents of Afghans turning their guns on their international counterparts, including one Sunday when an Afghan policeman opened fire at a training center in western @placeholder.