Taliban fighters overran a district headquarters in northern Afghanistan after a ferocious clash that left two police personnel dead in northern Faryab province, an Afghan official said on Sunday.

Abdul Karim Yourish, provincial police chief spokesman, said that the assault on the Lawlash District government headquarters was launched under the cover of darkness late Saturday.

The police headquarters are located inside a compound along with government offices.

In recent days, Taliban have launched dozens of attacks in northern Afghanistan, temporarily closing a key highway between the capital Kabul and northern Afghanistan.

The attacks reflect the Taliban's efforts to apply pressure on government troops and police across the country, and not just in their strongholds in the south and east of Afghanistan.