Afghan ex-senator killed by roadside bomb

Taliban claim improvised bomb attack that killed Popalzai tribal leader and four others in southern Uruzgan province.

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Haji Khairo Jan, a former Afghan senator, has been killed after his vehicle hit a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan.

Five people, including the ex-legislator, were killed on Saturday by the improvised explosive device (IED).

Provincial spokesman, Sayed Hamdard, speaking to the AFP news agency said “a roadside bomb hit a pickup truck in Dah Yak, killing Haji Khairo and four policemen”.

Farid Ayal, spokesman for the provincial police chief, said “Khairo Jan, two of his bodyguards and another tribal leader were killed when their vehicle was targeted with a remote-controlled blast near Tiran Kot, the capital city of Uruzgan province today in the afternoon”.

Khairo Jan, a leader of the Popalzai tribe in the southern province, was killed on the way to his hometown Dayak in the southern part of the provincial capital, added Ayal.

The bodies were evacuated to the Uruzgan Civil Hospital, Lieutenant Gul Agha, the first police district officer, told Afghan media.

The Taliban, known to exaggerate the death tolls of attacks for which they have claimed responsibility, released a statement on their website about the attack.

“Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate targeted and blew to pieces his vehicle using a remote-controlled IED in Pai Nawa area of Terenkot city, instantly killing the target as well as four of his bodyguards” the statement read.

Source: News Agencies