MAZAR-E-SHARIF -- Taliban militants killed a district governor and seized control of his area, despite the start of an Afghan government ceasefire, local officials said Tuesday (June 12).
Afghan police and troops will halt hostilities with the Taliban for eight days, from June 12 through 19 inclusive, President Ashraf Ghani announced June 7.
The Taliban agreed to a ceasefire with the government only for the first three days of Eid ul Fitr, expected to begin June 15.
Intense fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban gunmen broke out in Faryab and Sar-e-Pul, with officials reporting an unspecified number of casualties on both sides.
The governor of Kohistan District of Faryab was killed along with eight other Afghans in the overnight ambush, provincial governor's spokesman Jawed Bidar told AFP, blaming the Taliban.
He said the militants had seized control of the district, a development confirmed by provincial police chief Nabi Jan Mullah Khail.
Fighting in nearby Sayad District of Sar-e-Pul was still ongoing, according to provincial governor's spokesman Zabiullah Amani.
"We have asked for more reinforcements," he told AFP.
