Labour party candidate 'killed at random by terrorists' in Afghanistan --- Del Singh was shot in head and chest while eating at a restaurant in Kabul, an inquest hears --- A British aid expert and Labour party candidate was shot in the head and chest by terrorists while eating at a restaurant in Afghanistan, an inquest has heard. -- Del Singh, who was in Kabul to help ensure aid reached its intended destination, was dining in a restaurant frequently used by visitors because it was considered secure. -- The inquest in Winchester, Hampshire, was told that two insurgents armed with AK47 rifles were able to get into the Taverna du Liban restaurant after a suicide bomber set off a device outside. The explosion killed two men standing guard, and breached the steel security gate. -- A total of 21 people died in the attack, including senior UN officials, Afghan dignitaries and restaurant staff. The gunmen also died in the incident on 17 January. -- Central Hampshire coroner Grahame Short was told that Singh, 39, from Southampton, was an international development specialist who had extensive experience managing EU and UN projects in post-conflict countries including Afghanistan and Sierra Leone. -- At the time of his death, he was working as an aid adviser for an organisation called Tour Afghanistan and was monitoring the flow of aid into the country. -- A statement from Richard Ironside, a manager with Tour Afghanistan, said Singh and his team would always report their movements.-- He said the Taverna du Liban was deemed a safe place because it had a steel reinforced entry gate, security guards, strict searches and alternative exit points. -- Ironside said he received a phone call from Singh as the shooting unfolded. He said: "A call then came in from Del. He was saying 'I am at the restaurant, I am at the restaurant. I can hear firing in the background'." -- Ironside said he could hear gunfire before the phone went dead, the hearing was told. -- A postmortem examination showed that Singh had suffered four gunshot wounds – two to the head and two to the chest – that would have killed him immediately. -- Acting DI Matthew Potts, a British counter-terrorism officer, said it was believed the bomb outside had allowed the two gunmen to breach security and gain access to the restaurant. -- He said: "It does look like it was more of an indiscriminate attack on the occupants. Some staff and diners managed to escape the restaurant through the kitchen." -- Read More, Steven Morris and agency, Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/13/del-singh-aid-expert-shot-by-terrorists-inquest-hears