The government says an expert bomb maker for the insurgent Taliban inadvertently killed himself and his four sons in northern Afghanistan, while building a cache of roadside bombs.

Zabiullah Amani, spokesman for the provincial governor in Sar-i-Pul province, says Wednesday that Kamal Khan, a Taliban commander in the northern part of the province, died overnight while making explosive devices in his home.

Amani says Khan was believed to be the Taliban's best maker of roadside bombs in Sar-i-Pul province. These bombs have been frequently and effectively used for years against both government security forces and international troops in Afghanistan.

While the Taliban's heartland is in southern Afghanistan, they have become increasingly active and dangerous in northern Afghanistan as well.