Afghan police officers inspect a police vehicle damaged in a bomb attack in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, in September 2011.
An Afghan police chief and his two bodyguards have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in southern Afghanistan.
On Wednesday, an improvised explosive device ripped through a police vehicle in the Shamozai district of Helmand province, Xinhua reported.
"The incident happened around noon when a mine planted by militants struck the vehicle of Shah Khan, the police chief of Shamozai district, killing him along with two of his bodyguards on the spot," said a senior government official.
He blamed Taliban militants for the incident, but no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
Insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan despite the presence of some 130,000 US-led forces in the war-torn country.
The United Nations announced on February 4 that 2011 was the deadliest on record for Afghan civilians. The death toll rose eight percent compared to the year before and was roughly double the figure for 2007.
Overall, 3,021 civilians died in violence related to the war and 4,507 were injured in 2011.
MHB/AS
