Gun battle kills a dozen in Afghanistan

Jalalabad (Afghanistan) : Over a dozen people, mostly security personnel, were killed as armed militants stormed security checkpoints in Burka district of Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province, an official said on Sunday.

The militants, according to the official, attacked the checkpoints in Falul area on Saturday night, killing over a dozen people, a majority of them security personnel, reports Xinhua news agency.

Taliban militants also suffered casualties in the fighting that lasted for a while, the official added.

Burka district has been regarded as a stronghold of the Taliban.