An American general wounded during an attack in Afghanistan

An American general was wounded last week in an attack in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, which killed two senior Afghan provincial officials and targeted a group including the top US commander in the country, four people told AFP. # 39; assault.

Army Brig. General Jeffrey Smiley is recovering after suffering at least one gunshot wound inside the governor's compound in Kandahar, three people said. They spoke under the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the problem. US military officials in Afghanistan and the Pentagon declined to comment on the attack or to identify the wounded, describing them only as members of US services, US civilians and subcontractors in the coalition. military.

"We will not talk about the wounded," said Army Colonel David Butler, senior spokesman for the Afghan army.

The attack surprised the US military. General officers are rarely in situations of attack and even more rarely injured.

Army General Austin "Scott" Miller, the highest US officer in Afghanistan, was among those present during the attack. Butler said the present US officials had been caught in the fire after an armed man started firing. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed that Miller was one of the main targets.

Smiley served in the military for just over 30 years and became general in May 2017, according to an official biography. He was deployed to Afghanistan this summer and took command of a unit whose headquarters are in Kandahar, known as Train, Advise, Assist and Command-South. The headquarters largely comprises members of the 40th Infantry Division, a unit of the National Guard of the Army of California. Smiley has been ordering guard units in California for years.

Abdul Raziq, a senior police chief in Kandahar, is a powerful but controversial security officer who has survived numerous assassination attempts. He had seized power by evacuating the Taliban from Kandahar but had been accused of extrajudicial killings, torture and other human rights abuses. He denied the allegations.

Abdul Momin, chief of Kandahar intelligence, was also killed. Governor Zalmai Wessa was shot dead but survived.

The attack prompted the Afghan government to postpone for a week in Kandahar the vote for the parliamentary elections. The elections took place on Saturday in most of the country and some Afghans waited hours before they could vote.

"Today we have together proven that we are defending democracy," said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday. "By voting without fear, we honor the sacrifices of fallen soldiers."