Afghan governor escapes gunmen attack, 2 bodyguards killed

An Afghan provincial governor on Friday escaped an ambush attack in northern Balkh province in which two of his bodyguards were killed, the authorities said.
"Gunmen wearing police uniform fired on General Juma Khan Hamdard's motorcade, leaving two bodyguards killed and three guards wounded on outskirts of provincial capital Mazar-i-Sharif city late Friday morning," a security source told Xinhua.
Hamdard, who comes from Balkh province, serves as the governor of eastern Paktiya province.
The gunfight lasted for one hour, the source said, adding an investigation was launched into the case.
The casualties on the side of the attackers remained unknown.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched an annual rebel offensive against Afghan government forces and more than 51,000 NATO-led troops stationed in the country in mid-May.
The Taliban urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government and foreign troops.
Earlier on Friday, one child was killed and five members of the same family were wounded when a Taliban mortar shell hit a house in Mohmandara district of eastern Nangarhar province.