Gunmen kill Afghan government prosecutor

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Two gunmen on motorcycles killed a government prosecutor in the turbulent south of Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said.

The attackers shot Mohammad Azam, the chief prosecutor for Helmand province’s Gereshk district, in the morning as he headed out to work, said Helmand province attorney general Khushahal Shapa. Azam oversaw all prosecutions for the volatile district.

The Helmand governor’s office said in a statement that the attackers fled and that security forces are searching for them.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but it the Taliban regularly target Afghans working with international forces or the Afghan government as collaborators.