KABUL, April 7 (Xinhua) -- A Taliban shadow district governor was detained by Afghan security forces in northern province of Samangan, said the National Directorate for Security (NDS) on Friday.
"The Special Operation Forces of NDS detained Esmatullah alias Jalali following a gunfight in surrounding areas of Samangan province recently," NDS, the country's national intelligence agency, said in a statement on its official Facebook page.
Jalali, who served as Taliban governor for Hazrat-i-Sultan district, was injured during the clash before being captured, the statement noted.
An AK-47 gun and a motorcycle were also confiscated after the clash in the province with Aybak as its capital, 215 km north of Kabul, according to the statement.
The captured militant was responsible for several subversive activities and he tried to organize suicide attacks, roadside bombings and targeted attacks against local influential figures, the statement said, adding that the arrest of the man has foiled major terror attacks and saved the province from expected tragedies.
The Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants recently, as spring and summer known as fighting season, are drawing near in the Central Asian country.
The Taliban militant group has yet to make comments.
