Qalat (Afghanistan), March 30 (IANS) An insider attack on a police checkpoint in Afghanistan's Zabul province left nine police personnel dead on Saturday, officials said.

A member of provincial council Ata Jan Haqbayan said the attack happened in Shahr-e-Safa district in the early hours of Saturday and attackers fled the area after killing nine police.

The Taliban confirmed the incident and claimed in a statement that eight security personnel were killed and another captured alive, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement also added that seven supporters of the Taliban group were involved in the attack and all joined the outfit's fighters around Shahr-e-Safa district.

--IANS soni/