Afghan security officials inspect the scene of a suicide car bomb blast that targeted the vehicle of provincial police chief General Mohamed Nabi Elham, in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, yesterday.
Agencies/Kabul
The police chief of Afghanistan’s volatile Helmand province survived a suicide attack yesterday when his convoy was bombed in the city of Lashkar Gah, officials said.
Nabi Ilham’s armoured car was badly damaged by the early-morning explosion in the provincial capital, and three of his guards were wounded.
“At around 7am the motorcade was passing through the city. A suicide car bomb targeted it,” Omar Zwak, the provincial governor’s spokesman, said.
“The blast hit the second vehicle in the convoy and slightly hurt three of the guards. The police chief was unhurt.”
Militants have regularly targeted police and government officials as Afghan forces prepare to take over nationwide security from Nato-led international troops.
Last Tuesday, a Taliban suicide car bomb killed 15 civilians outside the Supreme Court in Kabul.
The southern province of Helmand has been a hotbed of the Islamist insurgency that erupted after the Taliban were toppled from power in a 2001 US-led invasion.
Meanwhile local officials said Taliban militants are preparing to launch a major attack on two main districts in eastern Nuristan province of Afghanistan.
According to reports over 1000 Taliban militants are planning to take control of two districts in Nuristan province, and local officials have requested to deploy further troops in this province in order to counter possible militants attacks.
Provincial governor spokesman Mohamed Zahir Bahand said over 1,000 militants have gathered in Kamdish and Bar-g-Matal districts are waiting to receive instructions from Pakistani militants to start their offensive.
Bahand further added that the militants are looking to take control of two districts in Nuristan province.
Taliban militants have increased their insurgency activities across the country since they announced their summer offensive back in April.
Afghan security officials believe that the Taliban group are aiming victory over Afghan security forces and have doubled their activities as Nato troops are preparing to end their combat operation by the end of 2014.
Security officials are also saying that Afghan national security forces have the capabilities to counter militants activities and threats.
Provincial governor of Nuristan also said that Afghan national security forces are prepared to defend militants attacks however he insisted that more troops should be deployed.
This comes as officials in Wardak province earlier said that over 200 Pakistani militants were deployed in different districts and are looking to carry out attacks on government institutions and security forces.