Police chief, 3 civilians killed in Afghan violence

At least three civilians were killed Wednesday in an explosion at a restaurant in southern Afghanistan, while a district police chief was killed in a separate gunfight with Taliban forces, officials said. The explosion, in the city of Kandahar, also left 22 civilians injured, dpa reported. "The incident took place around 5:45 pm (1315 GMT) at the Lemar Restaurant at District 6 of Kandahar city," said Javid Faisal, a spokesman for Kandahar's governor. Faisal said the police had launched an investigation. It was not clear whether the incident was an accident or an attack by insurgents. Earlier, an Afghan district police chief was killed during a clash with Taliban insurgents in neighbouring Helmand. "During a gun-battle between the Taliban insurgents and the police this morning, commander Toryalai was killed in Marjah district," Amar Zuwak, a spokesman for Helmand's governor, told dpa. Elsewhere, the body of a government official, who had been kidnapped two weeks ago, was found in northern Afghanistan. Shafiqullah Alamyar, the chief of the rural development department in the northern province of Kunduz, was found dead in neighbouring Baghlan province, said Enayatullah Khaliq, a spokesman for the governor of Kunduz.