Kabul, Sep 2 (DPA) Afghanistan’s deputy intelligence chief and 21 other people, including women, children and government officials, were killed Wednesday in a suicide attack in the country’s eastern Laghman province, officials said.
Abdullah Laghmani, the deputy head of Afghanistan’s intelligence service, was visiting his hometown to inaugurate a newly constructed mosque Wednesday morning when the bomber blew himself up in the crowd.
“The attack killed 18 civilians and four government officials,” Sayed Ahmad Safi, spokesman for the provincial governor, said. He confirmed that Laghmani, the head of provincial council, and two other senior provincial officials were among those killed.
The bomber detonated his explosives in front of the main mosque in Metarlam city, the provincial capital.
Farid Rahid, spokesman for the public health ministry, had earlier said that at least 10 dead bodies including three women and a number of children and more than 40 wounded people were brought to a provincial hospital.
Interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary confirmed that “several civilians and government officials were killed and wounded,” but did provide any figures.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid took responsibility for the attack and said Abdul Jabar, one of the group’s fighters, targeted the spy chief while he and several others were leaving a mosque.
Mujahid said 10 other government officials, including the head of the provincial council, were also killed in the attack.
The attack was a major blow to the National Directorate of Security (NDS), the country’s intelligence service, which has recently claimed to have foiled dozens of attempts by Taliban militants, who were trying to attack government and foreign forces’ targets.
Taliban insurgents have targeted several Afghan officials in the past, including a brazen attack in May 2008 in which several Taliban gunmen opened fire on President Hamid Karzai during a military parade. Karzai was unharmed, but a member of parliament and two others were killed in the attack.