MAIMANA, Afghanistan, May 9 (Xinhua) -- At least six militants, including a Taliban shadow district governor, were killed in an operation in Afghanistan's northern province of Faryab overnight, an army source said Wednesday.
"Acting on a tip off units of Afghan National Army Special Operations Corps (ANASOC) raided a Taliban hideout in Yaka Toot village, Pashtun Kot district overnight. The militants physically engaged with the security force and the gunfight caused six militants killed," Hanif Rezai, spokesman of army Corps 209 Shaheen based in the region, told Xinhua.
The killed included Mullah Hizbullah who served as Taliban shadow district governor for Pushtun Kot, he said, adding no member of security forces was hurt during the raid in the district south of provincial capital of Maimana.
Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once peaceful region in the north, where Taliban have been recruiting from among the youth.
The Taliban militant group has yet to make comments on the report.
