KABUL — A powerful bomb killed an outspoken Afghan governor and 19 other worshipers in a crowded mosque Friday in northern Afghanistan, where insurgents are trying to expand their influence beyond the embattled south.
A wounded survivor said he thought a suicide bomber praying at the right of the governor carried out the attack, which wounded 35 people and took place in Taluqan, the capital of Takhar province.
The death of Mohammad Omar, the governor of neighboring Kunduz province, came just days after he warned of escalating threats from Taliban and foreign fighters across the north. If steps aren’t taken to counter them, Afghan and coalition forces will face “disaster,” he said.
“Violence in north and northeastern Afghanistan will increase like it has in Kandahar and Helmand,” Omar said, referring to two provinces in the south where the Taliban has its greatest influence.
“It will be very difficult for the government and the international community to conduct clearing operations and fight gunbattles in all parts of the country.”
Security has been deteriorating for the past two years in Kunduz and surrounding provinces — known hideouts for the Taliban, al-Qaeda and fighters from other militant factions, including the Haqqani network, Hizb-i-Islami and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
NATO has sent more troops to the north and has been pushing harder into militant-held areas the past several months, said German Maj. Gen. Hans- Werner Fritz, commander of NATO’s northern regional command, in a recent Pentagon briefing.
The coalition is ramping up operations this month in “hot spots” to push out insurgents and establish better control of the area, he said.
Although there were no claims of responsibility for the attack Friday, insurgents clearly were targeting the Kunduz governor, said Takhar Gov. Abdul Jabar Taqwa.
“He was the target, and the terrorists were able to kill him,” Taqwa said. “This is a big loss for us because Mohammad Omar was a very brave and good governor.”
Among those killed were university students who lived in a nearby dormitory, according to local officials.
Abdul Haq said he was about 15 feet from the governor. Both were kneeling in the front row of the packed mosque.
“Suddenly a very strong explosion happened,” Haq said over the telephone from a hospital, where he was being treated for shrapnel wounds. “I think it was a suicide attack. I was on the left side of the governor, and I think the suicide attacker was on the right.”
