Afghan bomb kills Logar governor Jamal in mosque

 

 Arsala Jamal was appointed as governor in April after returning to Afghanistan from Canada

The governor of Afghanistan's Logar province has been killed in a blast in a mosque, during prayers for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

Arsala Jamal was standing at the front of the mosque greeting worshippers when a bomb hidden under a table detonated.

At least 15 people were injured, and several are said to be in a critical condition, Mr Jamal's spokesman said.

Logar is south of the capital, Kabul, and the Taliban increasingly control much of the countryside.
The attack took place at Logar's main mosque in the provincial capital of Pul-i-Alam, said spokesman Din Mohammed Darwesh.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Increasingly lawless
 
Mr Jamal was appointed as governor in April after returning to Afghanistan from Canada. Previously he was governor of another eastern province, Khost.

He was an expert in rural development, who had worked for foreign NGOs before being appointed to government positions.

The attack comes just days after the arrest of senior Pakistan Taliban commander, Latif Mehsud, by US forces. He was said to be a confidante of the Pakistani Taliban leader, Hakimullah Mehsud.
Logar and its neighbouring province Wardak have become increasingly lawless in recent years, says the BBC's David Loyn, in Kabul.

The insecurity threatens the southern fringes of Kabul, and thousands of people have fled to the capital in response, our correspondent says.

SOURCE: BBC