Kandahar, Afghanistan, February 24, 2010, SPA -- Two men on a motorbike gunned down an Afghan provincial official as he walked to work Wednesday in southern Kandahar province, police said. Taliban insurgents have claimed responsibility for the assassination, the Associated Press reported. The assassination comes as NATO and Afghan forces move into the 12th day of a major offensive to push militants out of a Taliban stronghold in neighboring Helmand province. The attackers shot and killed Abdul Majid Babai, the head of Kandahar's information and culture department, then drove off, said Mohammad Shah Farooqi, the deputy provincial police chief. They have not been caught, he said. On Wednesday, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef told The Associated Press that the insurgents were responsible for the killing. He gave no motive. --SPA 12:47 LOCAL TIME 09:47 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/751648