A suicide bomber killed one of the most powerful men in north Afghanistan, along with a provincial police chief and three German troops, when he attacked a meeting of political and military leaders for once-peaceful Takhar province. Nato's commander for the northern region and the governor of Takhar province were also in the provincial council gathering, but survived the attack, officials said.
The most high-profile casualty was General Dawood, police chief of north Afghanistan, a former deputy interior minister and before that a close associate of mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Masood. The loss of such a prominent and influential leader is a big blow to a force which is struggling to professionalise and shake off a reputation for abuse and corruption as foreign forces prepare to hand over security responsibilities in coming years.
It may also complicate Nato efforts to prepare for the start of a security handover from foreign forces to Afghan soldiers and police in some parts of north Afghanistan. Takhar police chief Shah Jahan Noori, two other Afghan policemen and three German troops were also killed in the attack, said Faiz Mohammad Tawhidi, spokesman for the provincial governor.
At least 10 people were wounded. The attacker was wearing police uniform, Tawhidi said, making this the latest in a string of attacks by rogue members of the armed forces or insurgents who have used uniforms to slip through security cordons. The police chief of Kandahar province, Khan Mohammad Khan was killed by another attacker wearing police uniform in mid-April, and authorities have struggled to find a replacement.
Comments
Comments are closed.