Afghan provincial governor killed

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The aftermath of the blast which killed four people

The governor of the Afghan province of Logar has been killed by a roadside bomb near Kabul, officials say.

Abdullah Wardak died with his driver and two bodyguards outside his home in Paghman village, west of Kabul.

Mr Wardak was a former minister in President Hamid Karzai's cabinet, who fought alongside US forces to overthrow the Taleban in 2001.

He is the second Afghan provincial governor killed recently in violence blamed on a resurgent Taleban.

The hardline Islamist militia has recently intensified its attacks on foreign troops, under Nato and US command, and their Afghan allies.

Logar province lies immediately to the south of Kabul and is a major centre for the Taleban insurgency.

Mr Wardak's vehicle was travelling in a convoy of three and reportedly took a direct hit from the blast, yards from his home.

A local man quoted by the Associated Press news agency said the bomb had been detonated by two men standing on a hillside overlooking the road.