Two policemen who were being held captive by Taliban insurgents in Baghlan province, turned on their captors and killed them in a bid to escape, officials said on Tuesday.

The two policemen were captured in Burka district of the province on Monday but managed to escape from Taliban custody on Tuesday after killing the five insurgents, a spokesman for the provincial police chief, Zabihullah Shuja, said.

“A police unit arrived in the area after the two policemen had killed five insurgents. The police battled the insurgents for three hours before leaving the area with the two that had been captured,” Shuja said.

The Taliban has not yet commented about the incident.