Afghan media reports say at least even soldiers of the Afghan National Army (ANA) were killed in a Taliban attack on a checkpoint in the Dawlat Abad district of the Balkh province early Tuesday morning.

Citing the Ministry of Defense, TOLONews says six other soldiers including three National Directorate of Security (NDS) employees were wounded in the attack. 

The checkpoint was reportedly manned by both the Afghan army and the National Directorate of Security.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the attack occurred at around 04:30 am local time.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, local authorities of the Kunduz province said on Monday that security forces pushed back Taliban attacks in Chardara and Dasht-i-Archi districts.

According to TOLONews, General Abdul Rashid Bashir, the Kunduz police chief, said that late Sunday night the Taliban attacked the districts but were faced with a strong response by security forces.

Rashid did not give the exact number of casualties, but he reported that after several hours of the clash the Taliban had suffered heavy casualties and had been pushed back by the security forces.

There are no casualties among security forces, Rashid added.