5 police killed, 2 injured in militants' attack in N. Afghanistan

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Five personnel of Afghan Local Police (ALP) were killed and two others wounded following a brutal attack from the Taliban militants in the country's troubled northern province of Kunduz, a local official said Thursday.

"The incident took place in Archi, a restive district on the outskirts of the provincial capital Kunduz city Wednesday night, after Taliban stormed ALP checkpoints, triggering clashes lasting for hours," district administrative Chief Nasruddin Nazari told Xinhua.

The injured were shifted to a hospital in Kunduz city.

The government established the ALP, or community police, in 2010 to protect villages and districts around the country where army and police have limited presence.

Several militants were also killed and wounded during the gun battle, but their number could not be exactly specified as the militants evacuated their casualties after the fighting, according to Nazari.

The Afghan security forces' casualties have risen since the beginning of 2015 when Afghan soldiers and police assumed full responsibilities of security from the U.S. and NATO troops.

The Taliban had not still commented on the report. Enditem