Afghan forces kill Taliban "governor"

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan security forces killed a Taliban member who the insurgents had recently appointed "governor" of the northwestern province of Faryab, police said on Thursday.

The Taliban have recently been expanding their influence and stepping up attacks beyond their traditional support bases in ethnic Pashtun lands along the border with Pakistan, in the Afghan south and east.

The Taliban member, Abdul Hamid Akhundzada, was killed in a raid by security forces after a tip-off late on Wednesday, said provincial police chief General Khalilullah Andarabi.

Another insurgent and a child were also killed, he said.

Akhundzada had recently returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan where the militants have sanctuaries in lawless Pashtun areas along the border.

Ousted from power in 2001, the Taliban are fighting to oust foreign troops and the Western-backed government. Taliban spokesman could not be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Tahir Qadiry, Writing by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by David Fox)