Afghan MP among 10 killed in suicide attack

A suicide bomber attacked a funeral in northeastern Afghanistan on Sunday killing at least 10 people including an MP and wounding dozens of others, a provincial governor said. The attacker detonated his vest after mourners gathered for the funeral of a government official in Taluqan city, the capital of Takhar province. "In a funeral ceremony this afternoon a suicide attacker targeted the gathering killing 10 people including Abdul Mutalib, a member of parliament from Takhar, and wounding 39 others," said Abdul Jabar Taqwa, the governor of Takhar. "I was also invited to this ceremony but I didn't go. The target was either me or the MP." Mutalib was a former Mujahedeen commander and the former police chief of Kunduz province, he added. Taqwa initially put the death toll at 15 but then revised the figure down to 10. He said except for the MP the dead were all civilians. However, Habibullah Rustaqi, the director of Taluqan hospital, said 12 bodies had been brought in along with about 40 wounded civilians. Provincial police chief General Khair Mohammad Temor confirmed a suicide attacker wearing a suicide vest attacked the funeral procession and that at least 10 people were dead. "The death toll may increase," he warned. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and the Taliban, who are leading a 10-year insurgency against Afghan government forces and 140,000 US-led international troops, were not reachable for comment. Takhar province is one of the areas being handed over by NATO in the second wave of transition to Afghan security forces ahead of the planned withdrawal of foreign combat forces by the end of 2014. There have been a number of attacks in the province in the last year including the assassination of three senior Afghan officials.