Former Afghanistan president killed

Two Afghan government sources have said former President Burhanuddin Rabbani has been killed in the capital Kabul.

The sources said Mr Rabbani was killed today at his home in Kabul.

The news came after an explosion was heard in the city.

Mr Rabbani was head of the country’s high peace council, which was set up by the Afghan government to work toward a political solution. However, it had made little headway since it was formed a year ago.

Mr Rabbani was president of the Afghan government that preceded the Taliban.

After he was driven from Kabul in 1996, he became the nominal head of the Northern Alliance, mostly minority Tajiks and Uzbeks, who swept to power in Kabul after the Taliban’s fall.

Mr Rabbani is an ethnic Tajik.