Unknown gunmen shot dead an official with the intelligence agency on Sunday in Herat city, the capital of western Afghan province of Herat.

"Two unidentified gunmen riding a motorbike opened fire on Syed Ismael Qazi Zada, a senior officer with the National Directorate for Security (NDS) in Herat province, and murdered him on the spot," spokesman of NDS in the province Syed Shir Agha told Xinhua.

The incident happened in the morning rush hour when Qazi Zada was on way to office and attackers fled after firing seven bullets on their target, he added.