SPIN BOLDAK, Jan 23: A landmine blast killed an Afghan district police chief and three others in the south of the country, the provincial governor said on Sunday.

The province of Uruzgan, once one of the strongholds of Taliban support, has seen a steady stream of attacks against US forces, Afghan army and government officials.

"Yesterday, ... a landmine exploded in Charcheno district of Uruzgan and district police chief Wazir Mohammad, his father, a brother, and another police official were killed," Uruzgan Governor Jan Mohammad Khan told Reuters.

He blamed remnants of the Taliban government ousted from power in late 2001 by US-led forces for refusing to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The Taliban also said they planted the mine. "We carried out this blast," said Taliban official Mullah Abdul Samad. "We planted this landmine in his way." US troops killed one gunman in an exchange of fire with a group of armed men in Uruzgan province on Friday, a military spokesman said. -Reuters