A leading politician from what is normally one of Afghanistan's most stable regions has been killed, officials said on Tuesday, another blow as NATO-led forces prepare to begin handing over security responsibility to Afghans next month. The body of Jawad Zuhaak, the head of the provincial council in central Bamiyan province, was found in neighbouring Parwan province on Tuesday, a senior hospital official said. Zuhaak and his bodyguard had been kidnapped in the Sia Gerd province of Parwan on Friday, police said. Khwaja Mohammad, the head of the Parwan hospital, said Zuhaak had been shot in the face. [...] Since NATO-led forces began to hit back last year, the Taliban have adapted tactics and dramatically increased the number of targeted killings of senior Afghan military and government figures in an attempt to derail transition. The killing of Zuhaak in Parwan would fit that pattern.