Afghanistan’s election commission has postponed Saturday’s elections in Kandahar province for a week.

It follows a deadly attack there that killed at least two senior provincial officials, including its powerful police chief.

Afghanistan
Murdered police chief Abdul Raziq (Massoud Hossaini/AP)

The Independent Election Commission’s deputy spokesman, Aziz Ibrahimi, said the decision on the postponement was made to allow mourners to observe funeral rites for the murdered police chief, Abdul Raziq, and others killed in the attack.

Along with Mr Raziq, the province’s intelligence chief and two policemen were killed.

The condition of Kandahar’s governor, Zalmay Wesa, who was wounded in the attack, was shrouded in secrecy.

Afghanistan
The head of Nato troops in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller and Kandahar governor Zalmay Wesa, centre right, and their delegations attend a security conference, in Kandahar, Afghanistan (STR/AP)

Security officials in the capital, Kabul, maintained Mr Wesa was wounded but survived.

Mr Raziq’s funeral was being held on Friday in Kandahar’s holiest of shrines, Kherqa Mubarak, said to contain the cloak of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed.

The Taliban said on Thursday that Nato commander General Scott Miller had been targeted in the attack which he survived.