An Afghan provincial police chief and an official in charge of women’s affairs were killed in separate attacks today – the latest victims of a campaign of targeted killings against government officials.

A blast with smuggled-in explosives at a prison in western Afghanistan killed a guard and allowed 11 inmates to escape early today, officials said. One prisoner was shot and killed while fleeing.

NEGLIGENCE or brake failure likely caused a 51-car train to roll out of a switchyard and eventually reach a speed of more than 90 mph before it derailed, caught fire and exploded, an Iranian official said yesterday.