At least nine policemen were killed in Taliban attacks on checkpoints in the northern Afghan province of Baghlan, while another two were killed in the east

At least nine policemen were killed in Taliban attacks on checkpoints in the northern Afghan province of Baghlan, while another two were killed in the east, security officials said Sunday.

Gen. Noor Habib Gulbahari, police chief of Baghlan, said that three police checkpoints in the Baghlan-e-Markazi district were attacked by insurgents Saturday night.

He also said that five insurgents were killed and three wounded in the ensuing gun battles. Fighting was ongoing elsewhere in the region, he added.

In eastern Nuristan province, two police officers were killed and nine others were wounded in an attack on a district headquarters in the early hours of Sunday, said Gen. Akramudin Sareh, the provincial police chief.

Sareh said around a dozen insurgents were killed in the battle in Waygul district. "Afghan security forces repelled a huge attack," he said.

He also confirmed that sporadic gun battles are ongoing in the area.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the two attacks, adding that the attackers had seized equipment from the police.

Taliban fighters frequently attack police checkpoints as they are easy targets and present opportunities to seize vehicles, weapons and ammunition.