Suspected rebels assassinate Afghan district chief

Muqur district chief Habibullah Jan was shot dead by Suspected Taliban militants in an ambush in central Ghazni province.

Suspected Taliban militants shot dead an Afghan district chief in an ambush in central Ghazni province on Friday, officials say.

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Four bodyguards of Muqur district chief Habibullah Jan were wounded in the attack launched by gunmen armed with assault rifles on a road leading to Ghazni, the provincial capital, Abdul Ali Faqari, the provincial governor's spokesman, told the agency.

Ghazni police chief Tafseer Khan said police had moved to the area, but that the attackers had fled. He blamed Taliban rebels for the shooting.

This year has seen an upsurge in attacks by militant supporters of the Taliban regime ousted in late 2001.