It's not been a good day for government officials on both sides of the Afghanistan/Pakistan border as Afghan's Deputy of Intelligence was killed along with 22 others in a suicide bombing attack and in Pakistan, the minister of religious affairs was wounded in a brazen Taliban attack in the heart of Islamabad. Both stories, from Breitbart, here and here are below:
LEAD: Suicide bomber kills deputy head of Afghan intelligence, 22 others+
KABUL, Sept. 2 (Kyodo)—(EDS: UPDATING WITH HIGHER DEATH TOLL, TALIBAN CLAIM OF RESPONSIBILITY)
At least 23 people including Afghanistan's deputy intelligence chief were killed and dozens wounded Wednesday in a suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan, local officials said.
The bomber detonated his explosives among a gathering of people outside a mosque in Mehtarlam, capital of Laghman province, some 100 kilometers east of Kabul, according to Sayed Ahmad Safi, the provincial governor's spokesman.
Abdullah Laghmani, who was the deputy head of the National Directorate for Security, was killed along with two of his bodyguards and 20 others, including the head of Laghman provincial council, he said.
At least 25 others were wounded he added.
The Taliban militia has reportedly claimed responsibility for the blast.
Pakistani religious affairs minister wounded in attack+
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 2 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi was wounded and his driver killed when two gunmen opened fire on his vehicle Wednesday, a witness said.
"Two people riding a motorcycle opened fire on the minister's official car," the witness said.
The minister had just left his office located at Melody Square in the heart of the city and the vehicle was about 50 meters from his office when the attack occurred," the witness said. The minister was rushed to the nearby Poly Clinic Hospital and was undergoing treatment.
A guard of the minister is also reported to have been injured, the witness said.
The assailants escaped.
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