KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 10 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 Taliban militants were killed after clashes erupted in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar overnight, provincial police chief Tadeen Khan said Wednesday.

"Taliban fighters armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) attacked a key police checkpoint at midnight in Maruf district. The clashes lasted for hours and 11 militants were killed and several others wounded in the remote district," Khan told Xinhua.

The identity and linkages of the killed militants are being investigated, he said.

No police officer was hurt during the gunfight as the police unit was aware of the attack, the police chief added.

Fighting between government forces and Taliban fighters often gets intense in spring and summer as the seasons are locally branded as the fighting season.

The security situation has been improving in Kandahar, the former stronghold of the Taliban, over the last months, as security forces have conducted search and cordon operations across the province. But the militants attack government interests in the province from time to time.

The Taliban militant group has not made a comment on the report yet.