Premature blast kills Afghan Taliban mine planter

A Taliban mine planter was killed as his mine went off prematurely in Jauzjan province with Shiberghan as its capital 390 km north of Kabul on Wednesday, police said. "The incident took place early Wednesday morning when a Taliban fighter Mullah Habibullah was planting a mine on a road in Faizabad district killing him on the spot," provincial police chief Abdul Aziz Ghairat told Xinhua. Mullah Habibullah was involved in series of mine planting and organizing roadside bombings over the past couple of years, Ghairat said, adding his death is a major setback to the Taliban militants. However, the armed outfit fighting the government is yet to make comment.