At least 25 civilians were killed by Taliban militants in the northwest of Afghan capital Kabul over the past two days, a local official said on Friday.
"Taliban militants stormed Astana village in Shirin Tagab district and have massacred 25 innocent civilians including women and children over the past two days," Mohammad Tahir Rahmani, deputy to the provincial council, told Xinhua.
The incident took place in the northern Faryab province with Maimana as its capital.
Government forces captured Astana village weeks ago, but the Taliban insurgents recaptured it, the official added.