MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen pro-government militiamen were killed following a Taliban ambush attack in Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh, a provincial government spokesman said on Sunday.
"Taliban gunmen attacked a local mosque named Masjed-e-Safad in a remote village of Chimtal district late on Saturday, killing 13 members of tribal militias, known as local uprising groups," spokesman Farhad Munir told Xinhua.
The attackers were disguised in military uniform and the mosque was also damaged after the shootings, according to local residents.
Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since late April when the militant group launched its annual rebel offensive in different places of the country, which had claimed hundreds of lives including militants, security personnel and civilians.
They urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government.
