Mayor of Afghanistan's Kandahar killed in suicide attack

2011-07-27 21:46:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- The Mayor of the southern Afghanistan city of Kandahar, Ghulam Haider Hamidi, was killed in a suicide attack on Wednesday morning, officials said.

Hamidi, 65, was killed instantly at his office when a suicide bomber approached him and detonated an explosive device which was hidden in his turban, said his spokesman Zalmai Ayubi. One of Hamidi's bodyguards was wounded as well and there were conflicting reports that several civilians were also killed.

Ayubi noted that it was still too soon to blame any particular group or person, and no group immediately claimed responsibility. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi however issued a statement on the assassination without specifically saying whether or not the Taliban was behind the attack.

The new U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker, condemned the assassination. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the assassination of another senior Afghan government official, Kandahar Mayor Ghulam Haider Hamidi," Crocker said. "Our condolences are with his family and with the government and people of Afghanistan. His death only strengthens our determination to work with our Afghan friends and allies to ensure that the proponents of terrorism and violence never again prevail in this country."

A spokesperson for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) also condemned the attack. "Mayor Hamedi was a strong leader and voice for a terror-free and progressive Afghanistan and we extend our sympathies to his family and friends at this sorrowful time," said Rear Admiral Vic Beck. "We will work with our Afghan partners to bring to justice those responsible for this despicable killing."

Afghanistan has been rocked by a series of high profile assassinations in recent months. On July 17, presidential adviser and former Uruzgan Governor Jan Mohammad Khan was killed during an attack on his residence in Kabul, the country's capital.

The attack came less than a week after President Hamid Karzai's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, was assassinated when he was shot at his home by one of his bodyguards who was possibly acting on behalf of the Taliban. Ahmed Karzai was elected to the Kandahar Provincial Council in 2005 and served as its chairman.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-07-27

I wonder where the exploding turban idea came from?

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2011/07/muslim-homicide-bomber-kills-us-citizen-the-mayor-of-afghanistans-kandahar.html