Blast kills Afghan district chief

An Afghan district chief was killed in a bomb blast targeting a security meeting in a key eastern city, the latest in a series of brazen but largely unsuccessful insurgent attacks in the volatile region.
Lal Pur district head Syad Mohammad Palawan died when a bomb planted on his car exploded as he was driving into a government compound to attend a meeting of provincial security and political leaders in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province, said police spokesman Ghafor Khan yesterday.
Insurgents apparently planned for the bomb to explode inside the compound where it could potentially have caused far greater destruction, Khan said.
Three of Palawan's bodyguards were wounded, Khan said, while the Interior Ministry put the figure at five.
The attack followed a failed assault on two coalition bases in nearby Khost province Saturday, in which more than 30 insurgents were killed. The attacks indicate that militant activity is rising in parts of the east, as coalition forces focus resources on Taliban strongholds in the south.