KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed the deputy governor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province on Saturday, a NATO official and the governor's spokesman said.

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Deputy Governor Abdul Latif Ashna was killed inside Kandahar city, capital of Kandahar province, said the governor's spokesman Zalmay Ayoubi.

Thousands of US-led forces have stepped up operations against the insurgents in and around the city over the past year.