Local sources said that gunmen shot at and killed Mawlawi Mohammad Qayum, a tribal elder, in Chaparhar district of Nangarhar province on Friday.
Mohammad Qayum was killed when he was returning from the mosque.
Local Taliban officials in Nangarhar confirmed the killing and said that the motive behind the attack is not clear yet.
Sources said that during the previous government in Afghanistan, Mohammad Qayum had played an important role in resolving tribal tensions in Chaparhar district.