KABUL, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Five Afghan security personnel have been killed by Taliban militants in Uruzgan province of southern Afghanistan, a statement of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Saturday.

    The militants attacked a police checkpoint in northern Uruzgan on Thursday, the statement said, adding ISAF and Afghan forces rushed to the site to support the policemen.

    During the operation, five Afghan security personnel were killed, and one Afghan policeman was rescued after being injured and captured by Taliban extremists, the statement said.

    The attack caused a delay in the delivery of military aid to victims of last week's flooding throughout the Helmand River valley, but operations are now back to normal, the statement said.

    Uruzgan has been a hotbed of Taliban fighters, who clash with Afghan and foreign troops frequently.

    Due to rising Taliban-linked insurgency, over 600 persons have been killed in Afghanistan this year.