At least 11 Afghan police officers have been killed after Taliban fighters stormed a police base in northern Baghlan province, local government officials told Associated Press on Tuesday, Eurasia Diary reports citing Aljazeera.
The fighters first overran a checkpoint near the base late on Monday, and were apparently able to breach the compound with ease because a sympathetic policeman opened a door for them.
These details were provided by Mabobullah Ghafari, a provincial councilman in Baghlan province where the attack took place. A local police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to brief reporters about the attack, also gave the same account.
Six others were wounded in the overnight attack in the provincial capital, Pul-e Khumri city, provincial council member Samiuddin Nazir told DPA news agency.
A spokesman for the Taliban fighters, Zabiullah Mujahid, however, put the death toll at 17, adding that one officer was taken hostage. The group is known to exaggerate its claims.
The attack comes a day after Taliban claimed it shot down an American military plane in Ghazni province - a claim the US military denies.