KABUL - A former Taliban commander and two of his fighters were shot dead by his own bodyguard in northern Afghanistan, local officials said Wednesday. “One of Commander Zia’s bodyguards killed him and two other bodyguards last night,” said Abdul Momand Omar Khail, district chief of Chahar Dara in Kunduz province. “The killer has escaped, while the security forces are looking for him.” The group were all former members of the Taliban but left the insurgency last year under a government scheme offering militants money and jobs, he added. The motive for the attack was not clear, he said.
, adding it was not known if the killer had gone back to the Taliban, and personal animosity may have played a role as the commander had previously been charged with murder.
Provincial spokesman Enayatullah Baleegh confirmed the incident.
Killings of Nato service members by Afghan security personnel are known as “green-on-blue”.
Afghanistan’s interior ministry said the Kunduz incident involved a current Taliban killing his commander and three colleagues - a version rapidly dubbed a “black-on-black” killing by Afghan social media users, referring to the Taliban’s usual dress.