At Least Nine Afghan Police Officers Killed In Taliban Attack

Afghan officials say at least nine police officers have been killed in a Taliban attack on a security checkpoint in the country's southeast.

Arif Noori, the spokesman for the governor of Ghazni Province, said four other police officers were wounded in the attack on October 30.

Noori said seven Taliban fighters were killed in the ensuing battle that lasted more than an hour.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Nisar Ahmad Faqiri, a provincial council member, said the checkpoint in Khohyani district was destroyed in the attack.

Also on October 30, authorities in the northern province of Baghlan said that government forces repelled an attack by the Taliban.

Burka district police chief Muhammad Ali said that the militants attacked the police headquarters there early on October 30.

The police chief said that the Taliban “suffered heavy casualties, with about 20 dead and injured” in a gunbattle that lasted several hours.

Ali said that one Afghan soldier was slightly wounded in the clash, but there were no civilian casualties.

Taliban attacks on security checkpoints and military bases are increasing and have become a weekly, if not daily, occurrence in the south and eastern regions of the country in recent months.

The Taliban has ramped up their attacks against the Western-backed government in Kabul, which has struggled fend off the militants since the withdrawal of most NATO troops in 2014.

With reporting by AP and dpa