LOC18:48
15:48 GMT
ISLAMABAD, Oct 18 (KUNA) -- A powerful police chief of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, General Abdul Raziq, was killed on Thursday in an attack by a guard shortly after a security meeting with General Scott Miller, the top US commander in Afghanistan.
The head of the provincial council, Said Jan Khakrezwal told media that provincial officials including the governor, the police chief and other officials were accompanying the foreign guests to the plane when the gunshots happened.
According to initial reports, the police chief was killed after a bodyguard opened fire when officials were leaving the governor's office and while on their way to a helipad after a high profile security meeting in the city of Kandahar. The attack also left local commander of the NDS intelligence service killed and governor of the province, Zalmai Wesa critically injured.
A spokesman for the NATO troops in Afghanistan, US Colonel Knut Peters told media, "There was a situation at the Kandahar palace today. Initial reports indicate this was an Afghan-on-Afghan incident. Two Americans were wounded in the cross-fire and they have been medically evacuated. General Miller is uninjured. We are being told the area is secure. Initial reports also say the attacker is dead."
According to local media, Taliban rebels claimed responsibility of the attack, saying, "The brutal police chief of Kandahar has been killed along several other officials."
General Raziq had survived several attempts on his life over many years including an attack last year in which five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates were killed in Kandahar.
The attack came two days before the parliamentary elections scheduled to take place October 20. More than 2,500 candidates are competing for 249 seats in the lower house.
The parliamentary elections have already faced violence with hundreds of people killed or wounded. At least 10 electoral candidates have been killed so far in different incidents of violence across the country. (end)
sbk.mt