At least 10 people were killed as the Taliban attacked a police headquarters and an intelligence agency office yesterday in Helmand province, where the insurgents have been battling government forces for months. Among them, three police officers along with seven attackers were killed.

Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor said the attack on the intelligence facility was repelled. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in Helmand, a major poppy-growing region where insurgents have been battling government forces as well as fighting among themselves over smuggling routes.