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Afghan Provincial Official Killed in Drive-By Shooting

   VOA News 24 February 2010

   Afghan  police say gunmen on a motorbike have shot and killed a senior
   official in Kandahar province.
   The province's deputy police chief Mohammad Shah Farooqi said the head
   of  Kandahar's  culture  and information department, Abdul Majid Babai
   was attacked Wednesday on his way to work.
   Kandahar  borders  Helmand  province,  where  U.S. and NATO forces are
   conducting  a  major  operation  in  the  town  of  Marjah - a Taliban
   stronghold.
   U.S.  military officials have reported making slow but steady progress
   against insurgents who have put up strong resistance.
   Military  commanders  have  said  protecting civilian lives is a major
   priority.
   On Tuesday, U.S. General Stanley McChrystal apologized directly to the
   Afghan  people  for  a  recent  airstrike that officials say killed 27
   civilians in Uruzgan province.
   The  commander  of  U.S.  and NATO forces in the country delivered his
   message  in  a video address translated into Dari and Pashto and aired
   on Afghan television.

   Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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