KABUL, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Anti-government militants have gunned down a district chief and his guard in Afghanistan's southern Zabul province, an official said Saturday.

    "Mohammad Yunus Akhundzada, chief of Mizan district, and his guard were shot dead by armed insurgents near his home on Friday afternoon," Gulab Shah Alikhil, deputy governor of Zabul province, told Xinhua.

    No groups or individuals have claimed responsibility yet.

    The killing came as a series of bombing attacks left over 30 people dead in the past four days.

    Insurgency-related violence is on the rise across Afghanistan, where as many as 8,000 people were killed in violent incidents last year, the bloodiest one since 2001.