KABUL: An Afghan official says a Taliban attack in a northern province has killed five policemen and wounded four.

Javwd Dedar, spokesman for the provincial governor, says the assault happened late on Monday in the district of Ghormach in Faryab province. He says the Taliban briefly overrun much of the district but that security forces recaptured lost ground after a short while amid heavy fighting with the insurgents.

Dedar says eight Taliban fighters were killed, their bodies left on the ground as the insurgents retreated from the area. The Taliban made no claim of responsibility for the attack in Faryab.

Separately, Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence said that the US-backed offensive underway against the extremist Islamic State group in eastern Nangarhar province has killed 23 IS militants over the past 24 hours.