A roadside bomb struck the vehicle of a district chief in Khost province, east Afghanistan Saturday, killing the district chief and his two bodyguards, an official said.

"The mine planted by enemies struck the car of Badi Zaman Sabari, the district chief of Nadir Khahkot, killing him on the sport and wounding two of his body guards," a local official Gul Qasim Jihadyar told Xinhua.

He said that the incident occurred at 8:30 a.m. local time ( 0400GMT) when Zamab Sabari was on his way to office.

He blamed the attack on the enemies of peace, a term used against Taliban insurgents, but the insurgents who often target government interests have yet to claim responsibility.

(Xinhua News Agency Feburary 14, 2009)