JALALABAD, Afghanistan, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A teacher was shot dead by two masked gunmen in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar Thursday night, the latest in a string of targeted killing in the militancy-hit country, said provincial government on Friday.
"Sahab-ul-Haq was shot and killed in a mosque in Sholani area, Chaparhar District, south of provincial capital Jalalabad city, Thursday night when he was offering night prayers," it said in a statement.
The 50-year-old man was serving in a girl high school named Bandi Mirano in the province, 120 km east of Kabul, for years, according to the statement.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the case and efforts were underway to find and bring the perpetrators to justice, the statement added.
The civilians considered to be supporting government, civilian government employees, religious leaders, tribal elders and persons involved in peace and reconciliation efforts came under attack in targeted killings over the past years.
The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 1,660 civilians were killed and over 3,580 injured in conflict-related incidents across Afghanistan in the first six months of the year, according to figures released by the United Nations mission in the country.
