US general says he doesn’t believe he was target of attack in Afghanistan

Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said Friday he does not believe he was the target of an attack in Kandahar on Thursday that killed two Afghan officials and wounded two Americans.

“My assessment is that I was not the target. It was a very close confined space. But I don’t assess that I was the target,” Miller told Afghanistan’s Tolo News TV in an interview.

{mosads}The attack occurred when a gunman wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire on participants meeting with Gen. Miller at Kandahar palace. The attack killed Gen. Abdul Raziq, the region’s police chief, and intelligence chief Gen. Abdul Momin, as well as Provincial Governor Zalmai Wesa, according to reports.

The Taliban said the attack was directed at Miller and Raziq.

Miller took over last month as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, replacing Gen. John Nicholson. 

Raziq had a controversial past, having been accused of torturing detainees but also widely respected for his fierce opposition to the Taliban.