District chief among several killed in Afghan violence

Taliban militants gunned down the head of a hard fought-over district in Afghanistan, while US-led forces killed several insurgents in separate fighting, officials said Friday.
The governor of troubled Shahjoy district in the southern province of Zabul was shot dead while shopping in a local bazaar on Thursday under the protection of his two bodyguards, who were also killed, police chief Mohammad Rasoul said.
The four attackers fled on motorbikes.
"Our district chief, Tor Jan, and two guards were killed by Taliban," Rasoul said.
The extremist Taliban movement claimed responsibility for the attack, which was similar to scores of others carried out by the Al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Shahjoy lies on the key road that links Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar, the first major centre captured by the rebels when they swept to power 11 years ago.
Meanwhile, the US-led coalition said it killed several Taliban fighters in the southern province of Helmand after coming under attack on Thursday with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and small weapons.
The Taliban insurgency, joined by other extremist outfits, has gained steam since it was launched in the months after the hardliners were driven from government in 2001 by a US-led force.