An Afghan police officer opened fire on his colleagues, killing nine of them, at a checkpoint in northern Afghanistan, a police spokesperson Mahfoozullah Akbari said on Thursday.

He said that the assailant, who may have been linked with the Taliban, fled after taking weapons and other equipment.

The commander of the post, Mohammad Gul, was not at the checkpoint at the time the incident occurred.

The attacker reportedly set fire to the bodies before escaping.

The Taliban said it was behind the attack, in a message on Telegram, but denied setting fire to the bodies.