(ATN News): Local security officials confirmed that Mohammad Afzal Hakimi, the Police Chief for the Warsaj District of Takhar Province, was killed along with his three bodyguards, in a Taliban ambush in Baghlan Province.
According to Ahmad Jawid Basharat, a spokesman for the Baghlan Police, the incident happened on Friday morning on the Takhar-Baghlan Highway.  Basharat further added that although police forces from Jalga District headed to the incident area to provide support, the assailants escaped the scene. Moreover, local officials in Baghlan blame the Taliban for the assassination of Hakimi, but the militant group has not commented in the regard yet. Afzal Hakimi served as Police Chief for Jalga district of Baghlan Province before his appointment in Takhar’s Warsaj District. Takhar and Baghlan are volatile provinces in northern Afghanistan where insurgents have a significant presence in a number of districts. Insurgents have been active in carrying out attacks against Afghan forces in the region.