US general Jeffrey Smiley wounded in Afghan attack

Washington: The US military has admitted that a US general was wounded in the attack in Afghanistan's Kandahar province last week which left four top provincial officials dead, according to a source.

Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Smiley, who oversees the NATO military advisory mission in southern Afghanistan, was shot and wounded in a shooting following an Afghan-NATO security meeting, according to US media reports citing a Pentagon spokesperson.

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"I can confirm that he is recovering from a gunshot wound he received during the attack in Kandahar," Grant Neeley, a spokesman for the NATO Resolute Support mission, said in a statement released in the day, said a source.

The attack on Thursday claimed the lives of four top provincial officials, including Kandahar police chief General Abdul Raziq. The shooter, who served as the Governor's bodyguard, was also killed in the incident.

The attack came as the war-torn country prepared for long-delayed elections for the lower house of the Afghan parliament. Elections in Kandahar have been postponed.

IANS