Governor of Afghanistan's Kandahar survives bomb

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The governor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province survived a bomb strike on his motorcade while heading to prayers for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday on Friday, a spokesman said.

The bomb shattered a window of the car that Governor Tooryalai Wesa was traveling in, but he was unhurt, spokesman Zalmai Ayoubi said. One bodyguard was lightly wounded.

Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city, is the birthplace and heartland of the Taliban movement, and also the home city of President Hamid Karzai. Karzai's half brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, is the powerful head of the provincial council.

A Canadian force has been based there for several years and U.S. troops have also arrived this year, but they stay mainly outside the city which has seen a rise in influence of the militants in recent years.

U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce tens of thousands of reinforcements for Afghanistan in a speech next week, and Kandahar is likely to be one of the main focuses of the additional troops.

(Reporting by Ismail Sameem; Writing by Peter Graff)