Afghan official: Taliban kill 15 police in separate attacks

KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban have killed 15 police in two separate attacks on checkpoints in the east and south of the country, officials said Monday.

Arif Noori, spokesman for the governor of the eastern Ghazni province, said an attack on a checkpoint there killed nine police and wounded four others. He said 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, said another eight police and 12 insurgents were wounded.