Taliban militants attacked a prison in northern Faryab province and set free four inmates, police said Friday.

"A group of Taliban rebels targeted the prison in the provincial capital Maimana, with four rockets late Thursday night enabling four militants to escape," deputy head of provincial police Mohammad Naeem Andarabi said.

He also confirmed that the rocket attack and clash with militants had also left two police and a Taliban fighter dead.

Conflict and Taliban-linked militancy often get momentum in spring and summer commonly known as fighting season in Afghanistan.