KANDAHAR, April 23: Two policemen and three Taliban were killed and six other policemen were wounded in three clashes in Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said.

In addition, 16 Taliban were arrested elsewhere.

One policeman and three Taliban were killed in clashes between Afghan police and army with a group of Taliban in Gelan district of southern Ghazni province on Sunday.

One police was killed and three Taliban were killed on Sunday in Gelan district, forces have surrounded Taliban in a village and the war is still ongoing, Haji Shir Alam the provincial governor said.

Meanwhile one policeman was killed on Sunday and two others were wounded in restive Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province when Taliban attacked a road construction company.

Rebels set ablaze 14 vehicles belonging to the Tawazo construction company during a two-hour firefight in Kandahar province, company director Mohammad Yousuf said.

Mr Yousuf said that the “heavily armed Taliban” took control of the company’s compound on a road near Kandahar.

Separately, four police were wounded when their patrol came under fire by suspected Taliban fighters in usually calm northern Kapisa province on Saturday, an interior ministry official said.

“Four police were wounded and they were medically evacuated to Panjsher hospital,” the official said.

Afghan and coalition forces arrested 12 armed Taliban fighters in a search operation in Arghandab district of troubled Zabul province after a brief exchange of fire late Saturday.

“Twelve armed Taliban were arrested by a joint Afghan and coalition forces search operation,” southern military corps commander General Rahmatullah Raofi said.

In a separate operation in Nau Bahar district of Zabul province, police arrested four more Taliban.—AFP