6 Afghan Taliban leaders killed in premature blast

Six local Taliban leaders and a would-be suicide bomber were killed in a blast Tuesday in eastern Afghan province of Logar. "Six Taliban commanders and a would-be suicide bomber were killed when a suicide jacket went off prematurely in Shash Qala area of the Charkh district at around 12:30 (local time) Tuesday," the Afghan intelligence agency said in a statement. In a similar incident, five militants were killed Monday when a car bomb they were building exploded in the western province of Farah. The incidents came as the country is preparing for the presidential and provincial council elections slated for April 5. The Taliban insurgent group has vowed to disrupt the electoral process. The security forces were put on high alert in big cities. Police found and seized more than 2,000 kg of explosive materials in Taluqan city, capital of northern Takhar province overnight, police spokesman Abdul Khalil Asir told Xinhua earlier in the day. "The militants planed to use the explosives to destabilize the province during the elections," he said. On Monday evening, eight policemen were wounded when a police van set off a roadside bomb in the nieghboring Samangan province.