An Afghan district police chief was killed along with four policemen in a Taliban ambush in western province of Herat on Monday morning, said the provincial governor.

"The police chief of Farsi district Colonel Sheer Ahmad and four police of the district police station were killed after their vehicle was struck by a Taliban rocket propelled grenade (RPG) at around 8:30 in the morning," Governor Sayyed Fazlullah Wahidi told Xinhua.

He said the officials were travelling towards office when the attack occurred in the district, southeast of provincial capital Herat city, 640 km west of Afghan capital of Kabul.

A surge in attacks has been witnessed in the country since the Taliban launched an offensive against Afghan security forces and NATO-led troops stationed in the country in May.

The Taliban urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government and foreign troops.

The casualties of Afghan security forces have increased recently as the forces are taking the lead in providing security for the country. The war-torn country is due to take over the responsibility for its own security from foreign troops by the end of the year.

More than 51,000 NATO-led coalition troops, down from the peak of 130,000 in 2010, are stationed in Afghanistan, and the United States plans to trim its forces to less than 10,000 next year.

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