Taliban insurgents dressed in police uniforms and driving a police car have attacked a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan's Helmand Province, killing at least 14 police officers, Afghan officials say.
Taliban fighters drove through the checkpoint in the district of Musa Qala on August 12 and attacked the police officers from behind.
Helmand Governor Mirza Khan Rahimi said two other policemen were wounded in the attack, which he called a "conspiracy against the police."
Rahimi said the police were caught unprepared because an earlier telephone call had informed them to expect a visit from police colleagues.
"But the visitors were attackers in police uniforms who opened fire and killed them," Rahimi said, adding that an investigation is underway.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yusouf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack and said the insurgents had captured eight policemen.
The attack is the latest in a stepped-up campaign by the Taliban targeting Afghan forces and government institutions, and shows the tenaciousness of the insurgency despite much infighting within the group.