Police in Afghan region might have defected, officials say

By the CNN Wire Staff

Recruits undergo training at the Police Academy in October Reports suggest some police have defected to the Taliban.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

This apparently occurred in Ghazni province
About 20 police disappeared, an official said

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Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Some policemen in a volatile Afghan province might have defected to the Taliban, the provincial governor told CNN on Tuesday.

Musa Khan Haidar Zada, governor of Ghazni province, said reports indicate that the defections occurred and that other police were poisoned.

The governor's spokesman, Sayeed Esmaial Jahanger, told CNN that the Taliban took over the district without any engagement and that 20 police disappeared.

Jahanger said they couldn't be contacted and had no specific information about their fate.

The New York Times is reporting that the "entire police force on duty Monday morning" in the district of Khogeyani "appears to have defected to the Taliban side."

The report, citing a spokesman for the Taliban, said "the movement's fighters made contact with the Khogeyani's police force, cut a deal, and then sacked and burned the station. As many as 19 officers vanished, as did their guns, trucks, uniforms and food."

CNN's Matiullah Mati contributed to this report