Official in Afghanistan says Taliban fighters kidnap 27 police officers in northeast province

KABUL – An official in Afghanistan says Taliban fighters have kidnapped 27 police officers during an attack in a northeastern province.

Gen. Fazeluddin Ayar Faziluddin Hayar, the police chief in Badakhshan province, said Thursday that the 27 officers were hiding in a cave during the Taliban attack Wednesday in Yamgan district.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack in a message to journalists.

The fighting in the district started late Tuesday and lasted into Wednesday. The Taliban said its fighters had raised the movement’s white flag above the district headquarters in an attack that authorities said killed at least six officers.

The violence comes as the Taliban has launched its annual spring offensive, promising to step up attacks as foreign combat troops prepare to withdraw by the end of the year.