Islam Times - Gunmen assassinate senior cleric in east Afghanistan

Islam Times - Unknown gunmen have shot dead a prominent Muslim cleric in eastern Afghanistan as the security situation continues to deteriorate in the war-ravaged country.

Spokesman for provincial administration Sarhadi Zawak said the gunmen killed Moulavi Nasir in a barrage of bullets in Mehterlam district located in the center of Laghman Province.

The cleric was killed on his way to a religious seminary on Saturday morning.

The officials say the attackers have escaped the scene of the attack and that police launched an investigation into the incident.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Afghan officials put the blame on Taliban militants, who have carried out similar assaults in the past.

Violence in Afghanistan has been on the rise in recent months despite the presence of thousands of US-led foreign forces in the war-weary country.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan began in 2001 under the pretext of “fighting terror.”

The US-led war in Afghanistan has become the longest military conflict in American history.