Suicide blast at mosque kills Afghan official
A suicide bomber has attacked people leaving a memorial service at a mosque in northern Afghanistan, killing his apparent target, a district chief, while leaving several others dead or wounded, police said.
The death toll has reached eight, including the district chief, with 11 people wounded, a police spokesman said. The casualties included civilians.
The attack underscored the tenuous security situation in Afghanistan as US troops prepare to pull out by the end of next year.
The bomber struck in the Dashi Archi district of Kunduz province. Afghanistan’s north is generally considered one of the safer parts of the country but in recent years it has seen increasing militant activity.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Friday morning’s attack, though suspicion is likely to fall on the Afghan Taliban, who have been behind many assassinations in the country.
District chief Sayed Sadruddin was the suicide bomber’s apparent target, a police spokesman said.
The Afghan official was with tribal leaders and others at a memorial service for someone who had died earlier, the spokesman said.
The bomber detonated his explosives as Mr Sadruddin and his entourage were leaving the mosque, he added.
