Alwaght- Thirteen people were killed after Taliban militants attacked a mosque in Afghanistan have Balkh Province.
The Taliban militants stormed the mosque on Saturday afternoon n the vicinity of Chemtal district.
Local hospital officials reported inspecting the bullet-riddled bodies of 13 people.
Taliban said took responsibility for the attack with the militant group's spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid saying 12 people, including three commanders of what he said were local militia forces hired by the government to maintain security in the region, had been killed.
Mujahid also claimed that the militants took several weapons, ammunition, and grenades from the deceased.
However, a member of the Afghan parliament representing the Balkh Province, Gulalai Noor Sapai, rejected the Taliban claim and said all those killed in the attack had been ordinary civilians and had no links with the government or security institutions.
Taliban “governor” killed
Meanwhile, the Afghan Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that a Taliban “governor” had been killed while fighting against security forces in the eastern Wardak Province.
Mullah Bashir, the Taliban-appointed “governor” of the Nirkh district, was killed and two militants were wounded late Friday night, according to the government statement.
In a separate statement, the ministry said at least 13 militants, including five members of the Takifiri ISIS group, had been killed after Afghan warplanes carried out airstrikes on their hideouts in Paktika, Sar-e Pul, and Jawzjan provinces.
The overnight attacks destroyed some of the militants’ weapons and vehicles, the statement added.
