Afghanistan Funeral Suicide Bombing: At Least 19 Killed In Northern Takhar Province

KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber blew himself up Sunday just after a funeral in northern Afghanistan, killing 19 people, including a member of the national parliament, the Interior Ministry said.

The attack came as mourners were leaving at the end of the funeral of a village elder in the town of Talaqan in northern Takhar province, a statement said, killing 19 and wounding 40. Among the dead was parliament member Abdul Mutaleb Baik.

Suicide attacks are rare in Takhar province, which is located 155 miles (250 kilometers) northeast of Kabul and is considered one the nation's calmer regions.

Sayed Ikramuddin Masomi, another lawmaker from Takhar province, confirmed that the lawmaker was killed.

"The suicide attacker killed...innocent people, and unfortunately Abdul Mutaleb Baik was among them," he said in a telephone interview.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Over the past year, the Taliban have repeatedly struck at officials and other prominent figures in an apparent effort to paralyze the government. In September, a suicide attacker killed Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former Afghan president and head of the nation's peace council.

President Hamid Karzai immediately condemned the attack in Takhar province, describing it as "an inhuman action by the enemies of Afghanistan."

U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen, the coalition's top commander in Afghanistan, said "these attackers are cowards, callously targeting and killing families and friends who had gathered to mourn a loved one."

Also Sunday, the Interior Ministry said security forces killed 30 suspected insurgents in a series of clashes around the country.

A ministry statement said army, police and NATO troops launched 11 operations in the past 24 hours across the country. It said seven insurgents were arrested.

Sunday's statement said the killed insurgents were armed and that weapons were recovered in the operations.

Separately, NATO said one of its service members was killed Sunday in an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan. The statement provided no further details.

The soldier was the 19th coalition fighter to die this month in Afghanistan.

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Comments

[shanefox]

10:15 PM on 12/26/2011

Isn't religion wonderful?

Good-will towards men, peace on Earth and a compassionate celebration of global diversity.

But not OUR religion it's those other amoral heretics.

Let's euthanasize every non-believer of the one true faith.

Oh, that's what's happening already!

Never mind...

[Writerofzion]

05:40 PM on 12/26/2011

This disgusting suicide killing disease of the extremists is catching on in the United States, it seems to be contageous. Our military needs to get away from the infected Middle East. We need to find a cure. Let's bring our troups home.

[jeviga]

04:44 PM on 12/26/2011

Who gives a flying chit about any muslims. kill every last one of these prehistoric maggots...What i care about is the survival of my kids.....weeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[kool morning]

06:18 PM on 12/26/2011

FU.

[mikedavid1]

04:27 PM on 12/26/2011

This will never end until the Afghans take their security seriously and stop depending on (or blaming) the USA for their safety. They must step up the organization of their police and military and root out all these radicals....they are the only ones who can do it properly...we will not (or should not) be there forever. The Afghanis are intelligent and decent family oriented people, but unfortunately allow intimidation to rule their behavior. As in the USA, decent Muslims must help root out those radicals, who would drive a stake between them and the rest of the country.

[billselfconcord]

04:21 PM on 12/26/2011

You got to love those peace loving muslims you just got to if you don`t they will kill you.We should let more and more come to America we need more peace loving muslims here we don`t have enought killers here now.You know we love people that want to kill us more than anything in the world thats why we spend trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives on them.I think we should send all the mexicans over there and let them kill off each other you know do some good for the world.

[Youlielol]

03:22 PM on 12/26/2011

I sincerely appeal to all of my Brothers and Sisters in The USA that even those that have no definite kinds of religions beliefs, to at least try to speak/pray/meditate to The Universal Mind to be close to us and protect us in these times, because this continuous destruction of our fellow human souls by other humans who believe they are doing the right thing is 100% wrong! Why do I believe this??? BECAUSE NO ONE IS PERMITTED TO DESTROY ANYBODY OR ANYTHING THAT THEY DID NOT CREATE! It is one of, if not the, major laws of the universe! God Bless America!

[comment man]

03:17 PM on 12/26/2011

How STUPID are these guys getting to be??

[vietnamvet1967]

03:13 PM on 12/26/2011

Is not this the ones that Joe Biden was saying we should get along with. YEA SURE

[donp700]

02:51 PM on 12/26/2011

Islam- because the world is flat, mountains keep the Earth from shaking, women are inferior, and anyone that disagrees must be blown to pieces.

[flying hawk]

03:31 PM on 12/26/2011

What do you expect from SAVAGE'S

[Rollin McKim]

01:39 PM on 12/26/2011

Plato said "Only the dead know the end of war".

Apparently that's not true in Afghanistan.

[ivanhoemb]

04:29 PM on 12/26/2011

And Aristotle said: "We fight wars so that we might live in peace." Some people interpret a desire for peace as weakness. The Taliban is certainly among those with that view.

[n ferra]

01:36 PM on 12/26/2011

It amazes me that we even thought we could beat these guys in war. If Russia couldn't do it, what made us think we could.

[Susan Shaffer]

04:32 PM on 12/26/2011

not what, who
Condi Rice "if we have this enormous army, why aren't we using it"

[Blodo]

07:27 PM on 12/26/2011

$$$$$$$$$

[hertamania]

01:32 PM on 12/26/2011

How stupid do you need to be to think blowing up yourself is a good idea? Stupid Muslims

[Youlielol]

02:51 PM on 12/26/2011

This is their religious beliefs! Seems the liberals and compassionate whinning Americans continue to welcome them all into The USA because it is a well known fact that "They are a peaceful and loving people!" LOL:) I am serious when I say the following, I have known and made friends with many, many Muslims here in The USA and out of so many, I remember ONE saying to me that he did not feel the way all of his Muslim friends felt about American Citizens! He agreed with me when I said, THE MUSLIMS HATE US! He agreed with me that they are intent on conquering the entire world to be Muslims and all those that do not accept this will be destroyed!

[hertamania]

04:10 PM on 12/26/2011

That is why they must be stoped and not let in.

[henery]

03:06 PM on 12/26/2011

40 virgins. They think suicide is worth it lol. They don't figure in the cost of viagra or they would'nt commit suicide.

[Susan Shaffer]

04:34 PM on 12/26/2011

no it is 53 virgins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdNqUW5wwTE

[Roland Drummond]

12:53 PM on 12/26/2011

Always remember that Islam is the religion of peace!

[ramonbatt]

03:32 PM on 12/26/2011

I think the spelling is more like the RELIGION OF PIECES. tHEY NEED TO CORRECT THE SPELLING. THE RELIGION OF PEACE. NOT PIECES??

[V-Bottom]

12:37 PM on 12/26/2011

HOMICIDE >>>>>> NOT SUICIDE

[ramonbatt]

03:35 PM on 12/26/2011

That is the problem. They don't know how to read. Thats is why they don't want women to learn how to read too!!

[one09flat04]

12:26 PM on 12/26/2011

We support, on the one hand, the U.S. Constitution that allows worshippers of any faith to practice
their religion in private! On the other hand those worshippers of the Muslim faith are not doing enough to wipe out the terrorists among their midst! Thus witness the tragedies in Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq! Roland C. Woodaka

[Youlielol]

02:52 PM on 12/26/2011

AND, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! (9/11)