KABUL – The Taliban killed 20 policemen and kidnapped 19 others, while 12 insurgents died during clashes over control of a district in northern Afghanistan, official sources told EFE on Tuesday.

The clashes between the Afghan troops and the Taliban occurred during the night in Ghormach district, in Faryab province, which has been under insurgent control since Sunday, according to local legislative head Abdul Baqi Hashimi.

“Unfortunately, Taliban killed 20 policemen and there are many others rounded up,” Hashimi said, adding around 2,000 insurgents took part in the operation.

Army spokesperson Reza Rezaee said the district’s police chief was among the 19 kidnapped and additional troops have been sent to counter the Taliban, who said in a statement 22 policemen had been kidnapped and confirmed the district remained under their control.

Over the last 14 years since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the insurgents have enjoyed more influence in the southern and eastern parts of the country, which has changed in recent months.

Around the end of September, the Taliban took over the city of Kunduz, its biggest military achievement since 2001, but the city was retaken by Afghan troops three days later.