KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — At least five Afghan security forces were killed after their checkpoint came under attack by insurgents in the southern province of Kandahar, according to a provincial official.

Aziz Ahmad Azizi, the provincial governor's spokesman, said that two other police were wounded in Saturday's attack took place in the Spin Bolduk district. He said seven Taliban insurgents were killed and six others were wounded in the fighting.

Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban's spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack in Kandahar.

In another report from the western Herat province, a number of gunmen attacked a city police station on Saturday evening, killing five people, said Gelani Farhad, the spokesman for the provincial governor.

Farhad said that two policemen and three civilians were killed in the attack while four others were wounded during the battle.

Initial findings show that three gunmen started shooting at the entrance of the police station, one of which was killed by security forces, he added.

The area is now once more under the control of security forces and a search operation is ongoing, he said.

A car bomb also detonated near the attack site, Farhad added.

So far, there has been no claim of responsibility for attack in Herat, but Taliban insurgents have been carrying out near-daily attacks targeting Afghan forces.

The violence comes despite stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to the country's 17-year war.