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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — A roadside bomb killed two people, including a district administrative chief, in southern Afghanistan early Saturday, an official said.
Dost Mohammad Nayab, spokesman for the provincial governor of Uruzgan province, said that Mohammad Ismail Haqyar, chief of Charcheno district, was killed along with his bodyguard while they were on their way to their office.
Nayab said that a friend of Haqyar was wounded in the attack.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Taliban insurgents often use roadside bombs and suicide attacks against Afghan security forces and government officials across the country.
Elsewhere in Uruzgan, a senior policeman and a lower-ranking colleague surrendered to Taliban fighters in the Dahrawud district after a long fight trying to defend their checkpoint, according to the police chief there, Noorzai Popal.
Checkpoints, which are ubiquitous in vulnerable areas across the country, are regularly attacked by insurgents who see them as easy targets.
Noorzai said the Taliban had been attacking checkpoints in the area for the past four days, and in a stretch of 30 hours had killed four policemen and wounded seven others.
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