Taliban militants ambushed a police van and killed two policemen in Helmand province of southern Afghanistan, a local police officer told Xinhua on Monday.

The militants attacked the vehicle in Gereshk district on Sunday night and caused the casualties, said Amanullah.

Meanwhile, the police in Kandahar city, capital of the neighboring Kandahar province, secured a hostage from five kidnappers on Monday and arrested three of them.

The abductors had demanded a ransom of 300,000 U.S. dollars, a local police officer Asmatullah Alizai told Xinhua.

Due to rising Taliban-linked violence this year, Afghanistan has plunged into the worst spate of bloodshed since the Taliban regime was toppled down nearly five years ago.

Over 3,700 people, mostly Taliban militants, have been killed in this volatile country this year.

Meantime, kidnappings, many of which are aimed at getting a ransom, have occurred in the country from time to time.

Source: Xinhua