Large Taliban attack on police outpost in western Afghanistan wounds 11 police officers

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan police say the Taliban have staged a large-scale attack involving more than 100 fighters on a remote police checkpoint in western Afghanistan that wounded 11 police officers.

Dilghan Khakrezwal, the deputy police chief in Farah province, says the Taliban attacked the outpost in Bala Boluk district around 5 a.m. Friday. Militants captured a tank and a pickup truck after they forced around 25 police and army troops to briefly abandon the post. Some 70 police and army reinforcements were called in from provincial capital about 30 kilometers (20 miles) away to help repulse the attack.

Khakrezwal says 11 police officers were wounded in the fighting, while Taliban casualties included six killed and 18 wounded.

Foreign forces plan to withdraw from Afghanistan at the end of this year.