At least 10 policemen were killed when Taliban fighters attacked an outpost in northern Afghanistan, officials said yesterday, as fighting raged across the country despite ongoing talks between Washington and the militant group.

The multi-pronged assault took place in Khwaja Alwan district of Baghlan province early Tuesday, said the provincial police spokesman Ahmad Jawed Basharat. “The Taliban attacked the police checkpoint from several directions. The fighting lasted several hours. Ten policemen were martyred. The Taliban also suffered casualties,” he told AFP.