Two others killed in roadside bomb in Afghanistan

A roadside bomb blamed on Taliban militants killed two members of a prominent provincial political family and a bodyguard Friday, while two other militant attacks injured four people, officials said.

Photo: Two others killed in roadside bomb in Afghanistan

Lala, a tribal elder and the uncle of a former provincial governor, died in the roadside blast, as did his son and a bodyguard, said Ghuman Muhbdin, head administrator for Helmand province, about 600 kilometers (400 miles) southwest of Kabul, the capital.

Lala, a religious cleric who goes by one name, and the two others were traveling to Friday prayers when the bomb exploded, Muhbdin said. He blamed the Taliban for the killings.

Elsewhere, militants attacked a police station west of Kabul, injuring one policeman, and tried to assassinate a provincial police chief in another attack, injuring three people, officials said.

Militants have stepped up attacks in recent months in Afghanistan's southern provinces, reports the AP.

I.L.