...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
in Balkh district in Balkh province on Wednesday night, said Mohammad Younus Stanekzai, district governor.
The festivities began with a Taliban attack on a security outpost, Stanekzai said, adding that "six other soldiers were rescued this morning from the area after army special forces launched an operation."
A security source also said: "The festivities continued until Thursday afternoon. The Taliban also suffered heavy casualties in the festivities but there is no exact information yet."
The local security officials have not yet commented on the attack.
The Taliban has grabbed credit for the attack.
In the meantime, the Afghan National Army's 209 Shaheen Corps in a statement on Thursday said that seven Taliban were killed and eight others were maimed in an
...KABOOM!...
in Zarai district of Balkh on Wednesday.
"The Taliban’s weapons and equipment were also destroyed in the airstrike," it said.