Afghan authorities say a prominent anti-Taliban tribal leader has been assassinated while praying inside a mosque in the southern city of Kandahar.

According to AP, armed insurgents entered the mosque and gunned down Mohammad Nahim Agha Mama as he prayed Tuesday, January 17 morning. The Kandahar governor's office condemned the killing as "an anti-Islamic and antihuman act" that desecrated a place of worship.

It said the Pashtun tribal leader and local council member of Dand district was well-known for encouraging peace and urging his followers not to join the Taliban.

Taliban insurgents have assassinated hundreds of Afghan government officials and supporters in recent years, seeking to sap public confidence in President Hamid Karzai's administration.