Karzai Cousin Killed by Disguised Bomber

An influential cousin of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was killed Tuesday by a suicide bomber disguised as a guest to his home. Hashmat Karzai was a campaign manager in Kandahar for one of Afghan’s two presidential candidates, Ashraf Ghani. As visitors arrived at his home to celebrate Eid, the end of Ramadan, Karzai was reportedly killed by a man who hid explosives in his turban. “After he hugged Hashmat, he blew up his explosives and killed him,” said the spokesman for Kandahar’s provincial governor. Ghani won the presidency according to preliminary results, but he has been accused of ballot-stuffing. The election threatens to send Afghanistan into civil war. Ghani’s campaign team said over Twitter that it was in “immense shock” over Karzai’s death.