KABUL — A suicide bomber killed at least 20 people, including a member of parliament, at a funeral Sunday afternoon in a northern Afghan province that has been relatively secure.
Afghan officials said they think the lawmaker, Abdul Mutalib Baig, was the target of the bombing. The late lawmaker was a prominent commander of forces who fought against the Taliban during Afghanistan’s civil war in the 1990s.
The attack was in the Sare-i- sang village of Taluqan, the capital of Takhar province, deputy provincial police chief Gen. Khair Mohammad said.
At least one 8-year-old boy was among the dead. Dozens of funeral attendees reportedly were wounded.
The village is in an area that is home to mostly ethnic Uzbeks and Tajiks, and has seen a spike in attacks this year, as Taliban commanders have lost ground in their southern strongholds.
“This ruthless act of terror to target innocent people who had gathered for a religious ceremony yet again demonstrates the vile and vicious nature of the enemy who does not want to see the Muslim people of Afghanistan perform even their Islamic rituals,” President Hamid Karzai said in a statement.
No group claimed to have carried out the attack. Haji Fareed Zaki, deputy governor of Takhar province, said officials believe the attack was carried out by the Taliban but said he doubted the group would take credit for it “because too many civilians were killed and wounded.”
