Taliban guns down outspoken Afghan tribal chief

KANDAHAR - Taliban militia have gunned down Afghan tribal chief Abdul Rahman in Kandahar.

Rahman had attended a tribal shura a few days prior to his death. The gathering of 1,500 chieftains and tribesmen had President Karzai in attendance.

Rahman raised several pertinent questions with regard to the security situation and the threats posed by both the government and Taliban.

At the shura in Kandahar, the elders made it clear they thought the Karzai Government was as much a problem as the militants, who have grown in strength in the region in recent years reports the BBC.

Rahman had become widely known in Afghanistan after telling President Karzai that those who spoke out against the Taliban risked being killed.

The Taliban are blamed for a spate of killings in Kandahar province ahead of a planned Nato-led assault this summer. (ANI)