Afghan Provincial Official 'Assassinated' In Kandahar

Afghan police says two men on a motorbike gunned down a provincial official in Kandahar today as he was walking to work from his home.

The killing of Abdul Majid Babai, the head of Kandahar's information and culture department, comes as NATO and Afghan forces are in the 12th day of a major offensive against Taliban militants in neighboring Helmand Province.

Babai had worked in the government post for eight years.

Mohammnad Shah Farooqi, Kandahar's deputy provincial police chief, called the shooting an "assassination." Farooqi says the gunmen sped off and were not captured.

compiled from agency reports