KABUL - An Afghan official says a Taliban attack on members of the local police force in a central province in Afghanistan has killed seven policemen.

Shafiq Nang, the spokesman for the provincial governor of Ghazni, says the attack took place on Friday morning when the insurgents opened fire with machineguns and RPG launchers on a police checkpoint in Dih Yak district.

The attack triggered an hour-long shootout. Nang says five members of the local police, a village volunteer force that answers to the Interior Ministry, were also wounded in the attack.

He says three Taliban attackers were also killed and four were wounded in the clash.

The Taliban insurgency continues to attack Afghan police manning checkpoints, which are easy targets. In 2014, more than 5,000 policemen were killed by insurgents.