Afghan police have killed 25 Taliban fighters, the Interior Ministry said today.
The militants were killed in Nadi Ali district of Helmand yesterday after they ambushed a police vehicle in the province, the biggest drug-producing region of Afghanistan.
"It is worth mentioning that Mullah Naqibullah who was regarded as a prominent commander of the Taliban is amongst those killed," the ministry said.
Naqibullah twice escaped from Afghan government prisons, the statement said. He boasted earlier this year he had managed to flee after paying a $15,000 bribe (€9,970) local media said.
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The fighting is part of rising violence in Afghanistan where more than 11,000 people have been killed in the past two years.