KUNDUZ: At least nine Afghan security personnel were killed when Taliban militants attacked two police checkpoints overnight in restive northern Kunduz province, officials said Friday.

The militants launched simultaneous raids on the checkpoints in Kunduz, a region bordering Tajikistan that has seen regular clashes between the insurgents and government forces.

The fighting left nine Afghan security personnel dead, Kunduz governor Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal told AFP.

Kunduz provincial council member Khaluddin Hakimi said 10 security personnel were killed in the fighting while 10 others were wounded.

The Taliban did not offer any immediate comment.

The insurgents have regularly attacked security forces in the province, often attempting to enter Kunduz city, which has briefly fallen twice to the militants in recent years.

In recent months, violence has surged across several provinces of Afghanistan even as the Taliban and government engage in peace talks to end the war.