Civilian killed as bomb targets Afghan city mayor; 5 insurgents dead

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A roadside bomb hit a convoy carrying the mayor of a key southern Afghan city Sunday, killing a passer-by. The mayor of Kandahar survived the blast, which killed a civilian and wounded two others, said Najibullah Khan, a police spokesman. Separately, US coalition and Afghan special forces conducting a raid Sunday in Kandahar's Maywand district - targeting a network supporting foreign fighters in the area - killed five insurgents "who maneuvered on the force ... during the operation," a US military statement said. In eastern Afghanistan, meanwhile, a French soldier and five Afghan troops were killed during a clash with militants in Kapisa province, officials said. Cmdr. Christophe Prazuck, spokesman for France's Defense Ministry, said Saturday's operation involved air support from Predator drones and other allied aircraft, and that dozens of militants "were hit hard." He didn't provide casualty estimates. Rahmatullah Safi, Kapisa's deputy governor, said five Afghan soldiers were also killed in the operation.