An Afghan policeman checks a man near the Shah Walikot district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, July 20, 2017. Up to 16 security personnel were killed as Taliban militants attacked security checkpoints in Shah Walikot district of the southern Kandahar province on Thursday, a local official said on condition of anonymity. (Xinhua/Sanaullah Seiam)

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Up to 16 security personnel were killed as Taliban militants attacked security checkpoints in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, a local official said on condition of anonymity.

"A group of Taliban rebels attacked security forces checkpoints in Kandalan area of Shah Walikot district at 02:00 a.m. local time, martyring 16 people including 10 personnel of national army and six police personnel," the official told Xinhua, saying authorized officials would brief the media after an investigation.

Seven more police personnel sustained injuries, the official added. He also asserted that several attacking Taliban insurgents were killed in the firefight.

Meantime, spokesman for Kandahar police Zia Durani has confirmed the incident, but refused to provide details, saying an investigation has been initiated into the case.

A similar incident had claimed the lives of 25 people, including 18 army soldiers, in Shah Walikot district late last May.

Kandahar province, the former spiritual capital of Taliban outfit, has occasionally been the scene of militants' deadly attacks over the past few years.