Afghan officials say at least nine security officers were killed and five others injured in an attack by insurgents in the western province of Herat.

Jilani Farhad, a spokesman for Herat's provincial governor, told RFE/RL on September 9 that security forces killed at least 10 armed assailants and wounded five more in the clashes the previous day in the Oba district of Herat.

"Security forces have been deployed to the site, and the area is under their control," Farhad said.

Farhad said the attack was carried out by the Taliban, though the militant group did not immediately comment on the incident.

Afghan government forces have struggled to counter attacks from both the Taliban and the extremist Islamic State group since the United States and NATO formally concluded their combat mission there in 2014.

With reporting by AP