Bomber Kills Afghan Deputy Governor

A suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed Kandahar, Afghanistan Deputy Governor Abdul Latif Ashna as he was driving to work Saturday, igniting fears that last summer's wave of political assassinations may return. The attacks subsided after NATO and Afghan forces consolidated their hold on certain districts around the city. The southern province has been one of the biggest trouble spots for the U.S.-led coalition, and the attack signals that it might be less stable than believed. The U.S. believes that Kandahar is the key to sapping insurgents' energy and building support for the government of President Hamid Karzai, but it has come at a deadly price: Last year saw the most coalition casualties in the 10-year history of the war.