A microphone bomb killed an Afghanistan provincial governor during his peaceful delivery of a speech Tuesday, commemorating the Eid al-Adha holiday. The bombing is allegedly part of the campaign aimed at intimidating the national government in the upcoming elections as well as an outcry to withdraw foreign troops that have been staying in Afghanistan for more than 12 years now.
The bomb used was said to have been planted inside the microphone inside a mosque at the capital of Puli Alam, where Logar province governor, Arsallah Jamal, was delivering his speech to attending worshippers, who were there to commemorate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, New York Post reported.
The explosion of the microphone bomb, which is now considered as the highest profile assassination in recent months, had also injured 15 other people, with five still in critical condition, Spokesman Din Mohammad Darwesh said.
Officials believe that the main target in the microphone bomb assassination was 47-year-old Jamal, who has reportedly survived numerous assassination attacks in the past including a handful of suicide bombings.
In May and July 2009, Jamal reportedly survived the bombings that had happened inside his Khost office. Meanwhile, he also managed to cheat death in a suicide car bomb attack in his August 2007 convoy.
According to reports, Jamal was actually a close confidant and adviser of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, who had said the same day that the bombing was an attack "against Islam."
Thus far, no group has claimed responsibility over the microphone bomb assassination, but it is said to bore the hallmarks of the Taliban, which is said to be against Karzai's administration for some time now. The Taliban is also reportedly denouncing the presence of foreign military in the country since late 2001.
"Terrorists and the Taliban working in the name of Islam carry out attacks that result in the killing of innocent Muslims," Karzai said, adding, "Surely it is not the act of Muslims, but those who have been hired to kill Muslims."
Reports said debris was scattered around the mosque while blood from the victims splattered on the marble walls following the explosion of the microphone bomb.
In the past, sophisticated explosives have been planted against government officials such as bombs hidden in turbans and even those strategically planted inside suicide bombers' bodies.
