Taliban kill nine police in checkpoint attack: Afghan official

KABUL: An Afghan official says the Taliban have killed nine police in an attack on a checkpoint in the eastern Ghazni province.

Arif Noori, the governor's spokesman, says four other police were wounded in the attack early Monday. He says seven insurgents were killed and five others were wounded in the battle, which lasted more than an hour.

Late Sunday, the Taliban attacked another checkpoint in the southern Zabul province, igniting clashes in which six police and eight insurgents were killed.

Amir Jan Alokozai, a district administrative chief, says another eight police and 12 insurgents were wounded.

The Taliban claimed both attacks. The insurgents have launched a wave of attacks across the country against security forces this month that has killed more than 200 people.