KHOST, Afghanistan, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- A religious scholar has been killed in Afghanistan's eastern province of Khost, local police said Sunday.

"Hazrat Gul was shot dead by unknown armed men in Nadir Shah Kot district late Saturday and the district police department has launched an investigation into the incident," district Police Chief Massoud Raihan told Xinhua.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the shooting yet.

The Taliban outfit and Islamic State (IS) militant group often target civilians, religious clerics and local leaders for their support to the government, NATO and U.S.-led forces stationed in the country.

More than 2,640 civilians were killed and over 5,370 others injured in conflict-related incidents in the first nine months of 2017, according to figures released by the United Nations mission in the country.