MAIMANA, Afghanistan, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Five Afghan army soldiers and 11 Taliban militants were killed in checkpoint clashes in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province overnight, a military source said Tuesday.

The clashes erupted after armed militants stormed army security checkpoints and army soldiers fought back the attackers in Nazir Abad locality of Pashtun Kot district, south of provincial capital Maimana, Hanif Rezai, a spokesman of army Corps 209 Shaheen based in the region, told Xinhua.

Four soldiers and seven militants were also wounded during the gun fight that lasted for hours, Rezai added.

The province, 425 km northwest of the country's capital Kabul, has been the scene of clashes between government security forces and Taliban militants for long.

Fighting rages across the war-torn country and clashes between security forces and Taliban have been continuing in more than 20 out of the country's 34 provinces since early April when Taliban launched a yearly rebel offensive.

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