Kandahar: An Afghan government official and his bodyguard were shot dead by unknown gunmen in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, a senior police official said.

The head of the social affairs department in Kandahar province, Dost Mohammad Arghestani, was shot by two gunmen on a motorbike, while he was on his way to work, Kandahar police chief Matiullah Qateh said.

His driver was also wounded in the attack.