Suicide bomber in deadly attack on Afghan mosque

There has been a deadly attack on a mosque in northern Afghanistan.

A suicide bomber killed at least 40 people as worshippers gathered for prayers marking the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday.

Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, spokesman for the police in the Afghan north, adding that almost half of the dead were police.

He said regional police chief General Abdul Khaliq Aqsai appeared to be the target. “As soon as the
police chief got in his vehicle, the bomber detonated his explosives,” Ahmadzai said.

More than 40 other people were hurt in the attack in Maimana, capital of the relatively peaceful Faryab province.

Local authorities have blamed the Taliban. The Islamic militant group says it is investigating the incident to find out who was responsible.

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