TEHRAN -- Local authorities in Afghanistan had been informed in advance of a possible attack on Tetsu Nakamura, making it more likely that Wednesday's shooting specifically targeted the Japanese doctor, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
Nakamura, a 73-year-old local representative of the nongovernmental organization Peshawar-kai, was murdered when he was fatally shot by an armed group in Jalalabad, eastern Afghanistan.
According to a senior official of the local government of Nangarhar Province, the information about the attack was received from an Afghan intelligence agency before the incident. Based on the information, local authorities offered to dispatch one police officer and four security guards for Nakamura, according to sources.
Nakamura, a driver and four security guards were killed in the attack. It is not known whether the slain security guards were those sent by the authorities.
In Afghanistan, terrorist attacks have frequently been carried out by the Taliban, a former ruling power in the country, and the Islamic State, an Islamic extremist group that targets foreigners to assert its presence.
Regarding the armed group that attacked Nakamura, the governor said Thursday that the attack had been plotted outside the country.
Nakamura had mainly been supporting the construction of irrigation canals in Afghanistan. There are believed to have been some problems over water rights.
In many places across Afghanistan on Thursday, condolences continued to be offered. A 52-year-old farmer who had been working under the instruction of Nakamura said he was so sorry for Japan that the Afghans were unable to save the hero's life.
Nakamura's family members were scheduled to arrive in Kabul on Friday to see his body.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday at a press conference that the Foreign Ministry has dispatched a ministry official to Afghanistan for the care and support of Nakamura's family.
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