Younger brother of the Afghan President Hamid Karzai was shot dead on Tuesday in his home by an old friend.

Younger brother of the Afghan President Hamid Karzai was shot dead on Tuesday in his home by an old friend.

Ahmed Wali Karzai, a powerful figure in the deeply troubled southern province of Kandahar, was killed while entertaining guests at home.
"We can confirm he has been martyred," Kandahar provincial government spokesman Zalmay Ayubi told AFP news agency, providing no further details.

A senior official in Afghanistan's spy agency said the younger Karzai had shot dead an old friend called "Sardar Mohammad" shot him dead.
The official said that Mohammad was killed by bodyguards following the assassination.

For its part Taliban movement claimed responsibility for the assassination, calling it "one of our biggest achievements" in nearly a decade of war.

Taliban spokesman Usuf Ahmadi told AFP by telephone that the group had recently assigned a gunman to kill Ahmed Wali Karzai.

The assassination came as Afghan President was to hold talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, o is on a surprise visit to Afghanistan.