KABUL: Nato and Afghan officials said on Wednesday that air strikes had killed two Taliban “shadow governors”.

The US-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said Qari Ziauddin was killed on Tuesday, describing him as Taliban shadow governor in the northwestern province of Faryab. The Taliban have “shadow” administrations in all the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

“The shadow governor was directly associated with and took direct operational orders from a Pakistan-based leader,” Isaf alleged in a statement. Intelligence officials tracked him to a remote area of Dawlat Abad district, where “after careful planning to ensure no civilians were present” it said coalition aircraft carried out an air strike.

In a subsequent shootout, Nato said, ground troops killed four militants and confirmed that Ziauddin had died during the air strike. Khalilullah Andarabi, the provincial police chief, confirmed that Ziauddin had been killed. Six of his fighters were also killed, the police commander added.

Afghan authorities said another air strike killed the Taliban shadow governor for Badghis, the neighbouring province to the west. “Mullah Ismail, the Taliban shadow governor along with four of his men were killed last night in an air strike in Bala Murghab district,” Sharafuddin Majeedi, a provincial government spokesman said. A spokesman at Isaf headquarters in Kabul, however, said he had no information on the second raid.—AFP