Colonel Janan Mama, the commander of the Crisis Response Unit (CRU) for the Kandahar Border Police, was killed in an explosion early Wednesday, local security officials confirmed.

Three of his bodyguards were wounded in the incident, police added.  

The incident happened in Kandahar city at about 10am local time after a magnetic mine, on Colonel Janan Mama’s vehicle, was detonated, a spokesman for the provincial police chief Zia Durani said. 

 However, he did not provide further details about the explosion.

 The bodyguards have been taken to a nearby hospital, said officials.

Janan Mama was a CRU commander in Spin Boldak in Kandahar for the past five years. 

 Taliban has claimed responsibility for the blast.