Ally of Hamid Karzai gunned down

A close ally of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was shot and killed in southern Afghanistan in what appeared to be the latest in a wave of attacks by resurgent Taliban, a provincial government official said today.

Haji Gilani and his nephew were gunned down in Deh Rawood on Thursday night as they walked past their home, said Dad Mullah, a spokesman for the Uruzgan provincial government.