Taliban kill governor, take control Afghan district as ceasefire starts

Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan: Taliban fighters killed a governor and took control of his district as clashes broke out across Afghanistan despite the start of a government ceasefire, officials said Tuesday.

There was intense fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban gunmen in the northern provinces of Faryab and Sari Pul, with officials reporting an unspecified number of casualties on both sides.

The governor of Kohistan district in Faryab was killed along with eight others in an ambush overnight, provincial governor 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.

The Taliban claimed the Faryab attack as well as one in Sayad district of neighbouring Sari Pul, where provincial governor´s spokesman Zabiullah Amani said fighting was still under way.

"Last night large numbers of Taliban attacked several villages... the fighting continues and both sides have casualties," Amani told AFP.

"We have asked for more reinforcements."

A suicide bomber driving a Humvee and gunmen attacked a district government building in the southeastern province of Ghazni overnight. They killed five police officers and wounded 26 other people including the district governor, said provincial governor spokesman Arif Noori.

Noori blamed the Taliban for the attack, although no group has so far claimed responsibility.

The government´s ceasefire offer went into effect Tuesday morning, said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish.

"We have ordered our forces to defend with all their power if they are attacked by an enemy that has no respect for anything."