Gunman kills lawmaker in Afghan capital

KABUL, Jan 26 (Reuters) An unidentified man shot dead a member of Afghanistan's national assembly in Kabul today, a government spokesman said.

Mohammad Islam Mohammadi, a governor of Bamiyan province during the Taliban's rule, was killed walking to a mosque in an upmarket neighbourhood, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said. His bodyguard was also wounded in the attack.

''We do not know the motive behind this killing,'' Bashary said, adding an investigation was underway. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The Taliban have targetted lawmakers as part of their insurgency against Western forces and the government.

But some factional commanders, settling old rivalries, and drug dealers have also been involved in assassinations.

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