Six Taliban leaders killed in Afghanistan

Six Taliban leaders and a suicide bomber were killed in a blast in Afghanistan Tuesday, an official said.

"Six Taliban commanders and a would-be suicide bomber were killed when a suicide jacket went off prematurely in Shash Qala area of the Charkh district Tuesday," the Afghan intelligence agency said in a statement.

Police found and seized more than 2,000 kg of explosive materials in Taluqan city, capital of the northern Takhar province, overnight, police spokesman Abdul Khalil Asir told Xinhua earlier in the day.

"The militants planed to use the explosives to destabilise the province during the elections," he said.

In a similar incident, five militants were killed Monday when a car bomb they were making exploded in the western province of Farah.

The incidents come as the country is preparing for the presidential and provincial council elections slated for April 5.

The Taliban insurgent group has vowed to disrupt the electoral process.