Suicide bomb attack kills 41 in Afghanistan

KABUL -- A suicide bomber detonated explosives outside a mosque packed with senior regional officials in northern Afghanistan on a major Muslim holiday yesterday, killing 41 people and wounding 56 others. The officials escaped unhurt, and many of the dead were soldiers and police.

The attack was the latest in a series of deadly strikes in recent weeks against Afghan army, police and government officials. The choice of targets suggests that the insurgents are increasingly turning against Afghan authorities and security forces now that NATO is drawing down toward a final withdrawal of foreign combat troops in 2014.

At least 14 civilians were among the dead, just two days after Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar urged his fighters to "pay full attention to the prevention of civilian casualties" because he said the enemy was trying to blame them on the insurgents. Taliban attacks account for the vast majority of civilian casualties in the war, according to the UN.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which took place in the town of Maymana, capital of northern Faryab province.

The bomber struck after top provincial officials, including the governor and the police chief, had assembled inside the mosque to celebrate the Eid ul-Adha holiday. The blast went off in the middle of a large crowd that included police and soldiers waiting for the dignitaries to re-emerge.

"The targets of the bomber were all the officials inside the mosque," Deputy Gov. Abdul Satar Barez said. Nobody inside the mosque was reported hurt. The carnage was all outside.

Video from the scene showed the motionless bodies of several soldiers and policemen lying next to their vehicles parked on a tree-lined avenue of the city, located about 300 miles northwest of the capital, Kabul. On the sidewalk, civilians were lying along the mosque's outer wall, some writhing and moaning in pain.