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Suspected Taliban Militants Kill Judge

Associated Press
Published | Updated

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Suspected Taliban militants fatally shot a district judge in southern Afghanistan (search) on Saturday, a day after alleged rebels killed a local administrator in the area, officials said.

Two attackers on motorcycles shot the unidentified judge early in the day while he was walking to work in Kandahar province's Panjwayi district, said District Chief Niaz Mohammed (search).

Police are investigating the shooting but no arrests have been made, he said.

The attack came a day after a bomb blast killed district administrative official Mohammed Shafi in nearby Shah Wali Kot (search) district, said provincial police chief Abdul Malik Khan.

Shafi was killed early Friday when a remote-controlled mine exploded as he walked out of his house.

"The Taliban was responsible," Khan said. "Police will solve the case of this terrorist attack."

Also Friday, Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces killed Mullah Kadir, an alleged local Taliban commander in Zabul province's Shinkay district, said District Chief Wazir Khan.

Kadir was killed in a firefight after the troops surrounded a house where he was hiding with another unidentified local Taliban commander, who was wounded and arrested, he said.

Afghanistan's government has warned that Taliban and al-Qaida militants have launched a campaign of violence to undermine crucial parliamentary elections scheduled for September.

More than 700 people have been killed in an outburst of fighting that began in March. Much of the bloodshed has been concentrated in the southern and eastern provinces. Authorities have warned that the violence is likely to worsen ahead of the polls.

Meanwhile, provincial governors from across southern Afghanistan met with representatives of U.S.-led coalition forces and aid organizations on Tuesday in Kandahar to discuss security for the elections.

The governors of Kandahar, Helmand, Oruzgan and Zabul provinces attended the talks, which focused mainly on election security, preparation and governance, according to a U.S. military statement.