Afghan district police chief shot dead in country’s south

A police chief in southern Afghanistan was killed Thursday by his own guard, who was shot dead by other forces, a government official said.

It was not immediately clear why the guard killed Abdul Manan, chief of police Musa Qala, a town in a mountainous district of Helmand province, some 450 kilometers (280 miles) southwest of the capital, Kabul, said local government official Mohammed Wali Alikhail.

"A security guard of the police chief killed his boss near his house," Alikhail said. "This tragic incident is under the investigation."

Other security guards shot the assailant dead immediately after he killed Manan, Alikhail added.

The motive for the attack was unclear.

Musa Qala is suspected of being used as a hide-out by members of the deposed Taliban regime, which has increased attacks in southern Afghanistan in recent months. Some of the violence has also been blamed on a booming trade in drugs, reports the AP.

I.L.