8 Afghan policemen killed in Taliban attack

At least eight Afghan police personnel were killed and two others wounded after Taliban militants attacked a security checkpoint in the country's Baghlan province overnight, officials said on Thursday.

"The clashes occurred after several hundred militants stormed the checkpoint named Safar-ba-Khair with guns and rocket propelled grenades along Baghlan-Samangan main road," Safdar Mohseni, an official of the provincial council, told Xinhua news agency.

Several militants were also killed and wounded during the gun battle.

The militants also overran the security post and took all weapons and ammunition, said the official.

The province, 160 km north of Kabul, has been the scene of heavy clashes between security forces and Taliban militants for long.

Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once peaceful region in the north, where the group have been recruiting from among the youth.

--IANS

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