**At least 60 militants have been killed in fighting between the Taliban and a rival Islamic group, Hezb-e-Islami, in northern Afghanistan, police say.**The fighting in Baghlan province erupted on Saturday morning. A number of civilians died in the crossfire.
It appears to be a rivalry over control of local villages and the taxes they generate, a BBC correspondent says.
Hezb-e-Islami, loyal to former PM Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is the second biggest militant group in Afghanistan.
It is unclear what sparked off the confrontation between the two groups, which have been allied in their opposition to Afghan’s central government and foreign forces.
Baghlan’s police chief told the BBC that 40 Hezb-e-Islami fighters had been killed, as well as 20 Taliban militants.
The Taliban are said to have arrested at least 50 members of Hezb-e-Islami, Gen Akhbar said.
Fighting is taking place in an area where the Afghan government has little or no presence on the ground, says the BBC’s Chris Morris in Kabul.