Pro-govt local leader killed in N. Afghan attack

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan - A local leader has been killed along with two others following an armed attack in northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province, an official said Wednesday.

"Former Jihadi leader named Abdul Baqi Safi and two other local prominent figures were killed after militants attacked his vehicle running along Khan Abad district road near provincial capital Kunduz city late Tuesday night," Qudratullah Safi, a senior district official, told Xinhua.

An investigation was launched into the incident, the source said, adding, "two people aboard the vehicle were injured and shifted to a hospital in Kunduz."

The Taliban militant group has claimed responsibility.

The province, bordering Tajikistan, has been the scene of heavy fighting earlier this year as security forces have repelled militants, who tried to take control of several districts near Kunduz city, 250 km north of Afghan capital.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since mid-April when the militant group launched a yearly offensive against Afghan security forces.

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

Furthermore, one civilian woman and two militants were killed while a child and three security personnel were wounded after Taliban attacked security checkpoints in Marawara district, eastern Kunar province overnight Tuesday, provincial government spokesman Ghani Musamam told Xinhua earlier on Wednesday.