Mirwais Sadiq

Kabul, March 21 (Reuters): More than 100 people died in factional fighting in the western Afghan city of Herat today after the killing of a cabinet minister who was the son of the powerful provincial governor, officials said.

Civil aviation minister Mirwais Sadiq, the son of Herat governor Ismail Khan, died after his car was hit by a rocket -propelled grenade in the centre of the city, Khan’s spokesperson said.

“Unfortunately, he has been killed,” Ghulam Mohammad Masoan said. “He was in his car along with two police officers who were killed with him.” Masoan blamed the killing on forces loyal to a senior government commander in the province, Zahir Nayebzada, who was recently appointed by President Hamid Karzai. He said it was the result of “a personal rivalry”.

Nayebzada denied killing the minister in an ambush. He accused Ismail Khan of provoking the fighting by trying to take command of his division and said Sadiq was killed after breaking into his residence.

“He broke into my house and started the fighting there,” Nayebzada said. “I did not kill Sadiq in an ambush; he was killed a clash afterwards. More than 100 people have been killed on both sides.”

State television said there was also a failed attack on Ismail Khan, but his spokesperson rejected this. “There has been no attack on the governor,” he said.

Masoan said heavy fighting was going on in several areas of the city, which is about 100 km east of the Iranian border. “They are using rocket propelled grenades and heavy machine guns,” he said.

He said there had been casualties among Ismail Khan’s forces and some civilian deaths, but he did not know how many.

State television said several people had been killed and wounded. It said the wounded included the city’s intelligence chief Ghulam Sidiq Bakhatyar.

A government statement said Karzai was “deeply shocked” by the killing of the minister and ordered an investigation and appropriate action to be taken against those responsible.