Afghan governor's kin 'killed'

A cousin of a provincial governor of Afghanistan was killed yesterday in an attack by suspected Taliban members near the Pakistani border town of Chaman, family and Afghan officials said.

Afghan security official Obaidullah told Reuters the nephew of Gul Agha Sherzai, the governor of the southern province of Kandahar, and two Afghan soldiers, were also wounded when armed men fired on their vehicle on the outskirts of Chaman.

Mohammad Sharif, Agha's younger brother who was also travelling in the vehicle but escaped unhurt, blamed loyalists of the former Taliban regime.

Afghan officials say remnants of the Taliban have begun regrouping near the southern border with Pakistan, and have launched several attacks on US and Afghan government forces in recent weeks.

"This attack is carried out by the Taliban and we have tightened the border security after the incident," Obaidullah said.

Southern Afghanistan had been the bastion of the hardline Islamic militia until it was ousted under intense US-led air strikes and advances by opposition forces for harbouring Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda militants. The United States blames al Qaeda for the September 11, 2001 attacks.