At least seven soldiers were killed in a Taliban attack on a checkpoint in Dawlat Abad district of Balkh province early Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Defense said.

Six other soldiers including three NDS employees were wounded in the attack, the ministry said.

The checkpoint was manned by both the Afghan army and the National Directorate of Security (NDS).

According to the ministry the attack occurred around 04:30 am local time.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.