The police chief of Afghanistan’s troubled Kandahar province Wednesday survived a suicide bombing outside his fortified office, officials said. A militant wearing an explosives-packed vest and posing as a civilian visitor had made it to the waiting room of General Abdul Raziq’s office before detonating the bomb.
“We think it was a premature explosion. The explosion took place at the waiting room of the police chief,” Ghorzang, Raziq’s secretary, told AFP. The police chief, who was in his office at the time, was separated from the waiting room by another room and survived the attack unhurt, he added.
Ghorzang, who like many Afghans uses only one name, said the bomber had disguised himself as an ordinary resident and told security guards that he wanted to file a complaint. Raziq later told a news conference that the bomber had falsely complained that his sister had been “taken away by some strongmen”.
“I signed and referred his complaint to be taken care of. He detonated after his letter was handed back to him,” he said. The police chief said he had launched an investigation into how the attacker had entered the heavily-guarded facility.
