Mayor of Kandahar killed by suicide bomber

The mayor of Kandahar city has been killed in a suicide bomb attack, officials say. Afghan police say Ghulam Haidar Hameedi was holding discussions with a group of tribal elders at city hall when a man detonated explosives hidden in his turban, killing the mayor. The attacker and another civilian are also dead. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. The killing of the city’s mayor comes just two weeks after Ahmad Wali Karzai, the influential half-brother of the country’s president, was assassinated by his long-time bodyguard. The string of violence occurs as NATO troops — including Canadians — begin to withdraw from the Kandahar area.

 BBC News