Gunbattle killed 10 insurgents and 1 policeman in Afghanistan

Attack of Taliban militants led to a two-hour gunbattle in a police checkpoint in southern Afghanistan that killed 10 insurgents and one policeman, official said Tuesday.

The battle in the Zhari district of Panjwayi province late Monday also left two police wounded, said Zhari district chief Khairudin Khan.

In neighboring Zabul province, a Taliban leader named Mullah Kabir was gunned down by police Monday while the militant was riding a motorbike, said Shinkay district chief Ali Hamid.

Violence has risen sharply in Afghanistan the last two weeks. More than 1,800 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence this year, according to an Associated Press count based on U.S., NATO and Afghan officials.