News - Afghanistan

Gunmen shot dead eastern Logar province's head of Hajj and Pilgrimage on Saturday night while he was shopping at the market, a local official said.

The shooting happened around 7:00 PM local time in the Wagh Jan market bazaar of the Mohammad Agha district when gunmen on a motorbike drove by the market and shot at the provincial Head of Hajj Mawlawi Ghulaam Rasoul, Logar governor spokesman Din Mohammad Darwish said.

"There is no exact information as to why they shot dead Mawlawi Ghulaam Rasoul and the police have started investigating about the incident," he said.

He added that insurgents have been frequently targeting local officials in the district.

No group, including the Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

On August 20, Afghan and Nato troops launched a military operation in the district in which a Taliban leader and several other insurgents were captured.

Isaf said that the operation was launched in the district to capture an Haqqani arms supplier.

The Haqqani arms supplier provided weapons, explosives, and improvised explosive device components to Haqqani fighters throughout the province, according to Isaf.