Gunmen kill Afghan district chief, 5 other people

Gunmen opened fire on a local government convoy today in western Afghanistan, killing six people, including a district chief, police said.

Gunmen opened fire on a local government convoy today in western Afghanistan, killing six people, including a district chief, police said.

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Afghan officials have frequently been targeted by violence as militants seek to derail efforts to establish government control over regions outside Kabul.

Raouf Ahmedi, a spokesman for police in western Afghanistan, blamed Taliban militants, saying the gunmen opened fire from several directions. The attack occurred as the convoy was traveling near the main town of Chishti Sharif in the district of the same name, according to Ahmedi.

Those killed included district chief Abdul Qadus Qayyum, the local director of criminal investigations, another employee, a bodyguard and two policemen.

International forces also killed an Afghan civilian today after opening fire at a speeding vehicle in southern Afghanistan, NATO said. The shooting occurred in the Garmsir district of Helmand province, a Taliban-influenced area expected to be a major focus of President Barack Obama's troop surge.