Suspected militant killed in Afghan bombing

A clash between police and insurgents left one suspected militant dead in the southeast, while Taliban militants kidnapped a local leader from his home and shot him to death, officials said today.

The insurgents took Mullah Ahmed Akhunzada, the director of a provincial clerics council, from his home and killed him last night in Tirin Kot, said Uruzgan provincial police chief Gen Qasim Khan.

Mullah Obaidullah, the Taliban's regional commander from Uruzgan, claimed responsibility for the incident and said Akhunzada was killed because he supported the Afghan government.

In neighbouring Zabul province, militants attacked a police patrol vehicle last night in the district of Arghandab, and the ensuing 20-minute clash left one Taliban dead and two wounded, said district chief Fazel Bari. A policeman was also wounded, he said.