1st LD Writethru: 4 Afghan police killed as Taliban storms security checkpoint

Four police were killed while four others were wounded as Taliban launched an attack on a security checkpoint in Kunduz city, capital of northern Afghan province of Kunduz on Wednesday morning, police said.

"The militants attacked an Afghan Local Police (ALP) checkpoint in Atmanzai locality in outskirts of Kunduz city at around 08:00 a.m. local time. Four ALP cops were killed and four ALP members were wounded as a result of the gunfight lasting for a while," an ALP official Sarraj Uddin told Xinhua.

The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital, the source added.

The militants fled the scene shortly after the attack. Following the attack, a Taliban purported spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed the responsibility for the attack.

The Taliban has intensified attacks over the past couple of months as the NATO and U.S. forces are withdrawing from the country. The war-torn country is due to take over the responsibility for its own security from NATO-led troops by the end of year.

More than 41,000 NATO-led coalition troops, down from the peak of 130,000 in 2010, are stationed in Afghanistan. Nearly 29,000 of them are Americans and the United States plans to trim its forces to less than 10,000 next year. Endi