DHAKA: Armed men have killed at least 16 policemen in Afghanistan, beheading eight of them, according to officials, as security forces prepare to guard a second-round election.

Villagers in the southern province of Zabul found the decapitated bodies of eight local policemen who were seized two weeks ago, deputy provincial governor Mohammad Jan Rassoulyar told media on Wednesday.

The policemen were snatched by fighters after an attack on their convoy, reports Al Jazeera.

‘Their bodies were discovered in Nawbahar district and we have sent elders to bring them to Qalat (the provincial capital),’ Rassoulyar said, adding they were beheaded on Tuesday and found soon afterwards.

Taliban fighters, who are responsible for many attacks on Afghan police, were not immediately available to comment.

In the country’s northeast, officials said that an attack on several police checkpoints in Badakhshan province had left eight officers dead.

General Fazeluddin Ayar, the police chief in the province, said on Wednesday that a large group of Taliban fighters had launched the attack in Yamgan district.

He told media the fighting started late Tuesday and was still going on. The police have sent reinforcement to the site.

Ayar says that along with the eight officers, at least five fighters had also been killed in the gun battle.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, they said that they raised their white flag above the Yamgan district headquarters.

BDST: 1755 HRS, MAY 21, 2014