Bomb kills Afghan district chief and two police

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) – A roadside bomb killed
three people including a district chief in Afghanistan’s
southern province of Kandahar, an official said on Saturday.

Hayatullah Popal, district chief of Shah Wali Kot, was
killed along with two police officials when their vehicle hit
an explosive device outside Kandahar city on Friday, district
official Obaidullah said.

Three other policemen were hurt in the incident.

Obaidullah blamed Taliban guerrillas for the attack.

Taliban officials could not be reached for immediate
comment, but the Islamic insurgents have carried out a series
of attacks against U.S.-led and Afghan government forces
recently.

More than 1,100 people, most of them militants, and nearly
60 U.S. soldiers, have died in the Taliban-linked raids this
year in Afghanistan, the bloodiest violence since U.S.-led
troops overthrew Taliban’s government in 2001.