Qari Jan Gir, the chief of Justice Department of Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan, was killed on his way to office as a roadside bomb hit his car Wednesday morning, provincial police chief said.

"It was at 8:00 a.m. (0330GMT) when a roadside bomb hit the carof Qari Jan Gir when he was heading from home to his office," Abdul Razaq Yaqubi told Xinhua.

He also said that only Jan Gir was killed in the explosion and his car was burned but cause no other causalities.

Meantime, Taliban purported spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, adding that his men planted the mine to kill the official.

The incident came just one day after Afghan election body announced partial result of Aug. 20 election showing sitting president Hamid Karzai in lead on Tuesday when a Taliban-planned suicide car bombing on same day killed over 36 people and wounded 64 more in the militants' birthplace Kandahar city of southern Afghanistan.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2009)