An Afghan district governor has defected to the Taliban in northern Afghanistan.
The defection of Qazi Abdul Hai, a former senator, is the highest-ranking defection to the insurgents until now.
Abdul Jabbar Haqbin, governor of Sar-e-Pul province, said that Hai, who was recently working as Kohistanat district governor, disappeared on Tuesday and is believed to have joined Taliban in the district.
According to news24, Hai served as senator from 2004 to 2008 and was then appointed as the governor of his home district.
Hai was about to be sacked when he quit his job and joined the insurgents.
A Taliban spokesperson welcomed the defection, saying Hai was a 'great jihad commander'.
Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that Hai's defection is a big achievement for the mujahideen.
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