Seven people, including a district chief and a senior police officer, were killed in three separate incidents of violence in southern Afghanistan on Saturday and late on Friday.Provincial officials said on Sunday that two hooded Taliban, riding a motorcycle, opened fire at the chief of the Sangeen district of the insurgency-hit southern Helmand province, when he was roaming in the bazaar (market). The officials said the district chief Ameer Jan died instantly as the two terrorists fired two bursts of Kalashnikov rifles. They later brandishing their arms and firing in the air escaped from the scene on motorcycles. In the same district, a blast killed five government officials, including district police chief, another senior official and three policemen.
Provincial police chief Asadullah told journalists the slain district security chief Akbar was traveling in the Navee district of the province when his vehicle was blown up by a remote-controlled bomb. He said all the five people in the car died on the spot. Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
| Update -- these were Afghan intel agents working the drug traffoking beat... |