The attacker struck as the official, Abdul Latif Ashna, was being driven to work in the provincial capital, said a ministry spokesman, Zemeri Bashery. [break]
The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, condemned the killing and offered his condolences to the official´s family.
"The loss of a great deputy governor like this is a setback," he said. "What we have seen is that consistently, Afghan government leaders emerge and the people continue to rally in an effort to establish security in this province and build a strong government."
He spoke at Kandahar airfield, where he was attending a naturalization ceremony for U.S. service members becoming citizens at the base.
Kandahar, located in the Taliban´s traditional southern stronghold, has been the scene of several attacks recently. Two weeks ago a bicycle bomb targeting police vehicles near the city center wounded at least 10 people — six civilians and four police. Last month, a suicide car bombing in the city center killed three people and wounded 26 others, most of them police.
Related story
Top Afghan official killed in shooting, U.S. general unhurt
