Foreign fighters penetrate into N. Afghanistan

Hundreds of foreign fighters loyal to the Taliban outfit have penetrated into Afghanistan's peaceful northern provinces, a local newspaper reported Thursday.

A senior police officer in the northern Balkh province of Mujtaba Patang, according to the daily Rah-e-Nejat, has insisted that hundreds of militants from Pakistan's lawless tribal areas have shifted to Kunduz, Baghlan and Faryab provinces in north Afghanistan.

These militants, the police officer stressed, are members of the Uzbekistan Islamic Movement fighting under Tahir Yaldash and Juma Namangani.

Kunduz, Baghlan and Faryab have been the scene of Taliban-led militancy over the past couple of months.