By DPA
Kabul : At least 11 Taliban militants and two police officers were killed during an exchange of fire in southern Farah province, officials said Sunday.
Security forces arrested five militants, officials added.
The eight-hour gunfight between Taliban militants and Afghan security forces took place in the Dilaram district of Farah provincein southern Afghanistan, Nimroz governor Dastagir Azad said.
Seven rebel vehicles were destroyed during the fighting, Azad said, adding, “Two policemen were killed and eight others wounded.”
The incident took place late Saturday, the governor told DPA adding, “Police forces burned 15 motorbikes of the Taliban militants.”
The Taliban website said fighting between police and their supporters in Dilaram district had claimed six Afghan soldiers.
Due to the remoteness of the area, it was difficult to verify the death toll independently.
Clashes between Taliban-led rebels and Afghan government and international military allies have intensified in the past several weeks.
More than 4,400 people – most of them insurgents – have been killed in the violence so far this year.