Kabul - An Afghan cabinet minister survived a roadside attack in Afghanistan's western Herat province Sunday, but police said four civilians were killed and 17 others injured. Energy Minister Mohammad Ismail Khan was on his way to the airport in Herat city when a motorbike laden with explosives detonated near his convoy, western region police spokesman Abdul Raouf Ahmadi said.
"Fortunately he (Khan) was not hurt in the attack, but four civilian passersby were killed," Ahmadi said, adding that 17 people including four of Khan's bodyguards were wounded in the blast.
He said the bomb was remotely controlled and that three vehicles in the minister's convoy were damaged.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the blast and said that Khan was the target of the attack.
Khan, a former top mujahideen commander in western region, served as governor for Herat province, which borders Iran, before joining the cabinet of President Hamid Karzai.
