Afghan mosque attack kills at least 10

AFGHANISTAN: A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people with high-ranking officials among the dead and wounded, officials said.

The bomber wounded dozens of people, detonating his explosives in a crowd of people outside the main mosque in Mihtarlam, the provincial capital of eastern Laghman province, where senior government officials were gathering.

It was the second high-profile bombing in Afghanistan since landmark presidential and provincial council elections were held on August 20 under a cloud of Taliban intimidation and attacks.

The insurgent militia claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman said that Afghanistan's deputy intelligence chief Abdullah was the target and that he had been killed.

"There was a suic

ide attack outside Mihtarlam mosque. There are a big number of civilian deaths. A number of government officials have also been killed," interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said.

He declined to give further details on the identities of the casualties, but confirmed that Laghman's provincial governor and police chief were unhurt.

An official at the Afghan health ministry said at least 10 bodies had been brought into hospitals with 36 people wounded.

"But as the dead and wounded were taken to the mosque, other clinics and shops, the number of dead and wounded will increase," spokesman Doctor Ahmad Farid Raaid told AFP in the Afghan capital Kabul.

AFP