Afghan cleric shot and killed

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 29 (UPI) -- A popular Afghan cleric and Taliban opponent has been killed by gunmen in southern Afghanistan, police said.

Mawlavi Abdullah Fayaz was attacked by motorcycle gunmen outside his office in Kandahar, the BBC reported Sunday. An aide said the cleric died on the way to a hospital.

Fayaz, a supporter of President Hamid Karzai, gave a speech last week denouncing Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar at a Kandahar meeting of about 500 clerics. He accused Taliban fighters of killing innocent civilians.