Taliban Claims Responsibility for a Suicide Attack on the Governor's Office in Helmand, Kandahar

On December 13, 2006, various Islamist websites posted a communiqué from the Taliban, in which the group claims responsibility for the December 12, 2006 suicide attack on the home and office of Muhammad Daud Safi, the governor of Helmand, Kandahar. The communiqué stated that the attack, called "Sitar Khan," was carried out by Hafiz Sami' Allah, a resident of the Helmand province, and that it took place "inside the governor's residence…" The communiqué added that the blast "completely destroyed the governor's residence… and it was confirmed that 10 of the police troops inside died while 20 other policemen were severely injured… [It was also established that] the governor of Washir district [in Helmand province] was killed in the explosion."