Bomb hidden in microphone kills Afghan governor at mosque prayers

A provincial governor and close confidante of President Hamid Karzai was assassinated by a bomb hidden in a microphone that exploded as he spoke at a mosque Tuesday, officials said.

Arsala Jamal, the governor of Logar province, near the capital Kabul, was killed at 8.45 a.m. local time (12.15 a.m. ET) as he spoke after prayers celebrating the Islamic holiday, Eid.

15 people were injured in the attack but there were no other fatalities, according to Din Mohammad Darwish, spokesman for Jamal’s office.

Darwish said the bombing took place at the main mosque in the provincial capital of Puli Alam.

Jamal, an ethnic Pashtun who was in his 40s, had previously survived four suicide attacks and served as a Minister of Tribal and Frontier Affairs. He was the deputy campaign manager for Karzai in the 2009 presidential elections.

Fazlullah Mujaddedi, the governor of Laghman province, posted on his Facebook page that the bomb was placed in Jamal’s microphone and detonated as he began his Eid greetings.

No group has so far said it was behind the attack, although the Taliban has claimed it was responsible for similar high-profile assassinations in the past.

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