A bomb blast at an Afghan university killed two students on Saturday in Kandahar, one of the most troubled places in Afghanistan, police said.
One of the dead was also secretary to the police chief of Kandahar province.
“The blast took place near the engineering faculty of Kandahar University and has killed two students, one of them my office secretary,” police chief General Abdul Razaq told AFP.
A second explosion, which happened after police cordoned off the area, injured three people including two policemen, Razaq said. Both blasts were caused by remote-controlled improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Shortly afterwards, Kandahar’s top justice official, Aqil Shah Khan, survived an assassination attempt in a drive-by shooting, Razaq said.
“He was shot at by two motorcycle riders, but the round hit his hand and he’s slightly injured and currently in hospital receiving treatment,” he added.
Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban and has been the scene of some fierce fighting in recent weeks, including a two-day siege which saw rebels try to take control of government buildings last month.
The Taliban frequently target the police, army and judiciary and those associated with them. The previous police chief of Kandahar was assassinated in April.