A suicide attack leaves 19 dead

A suicide bomber detonated his cargo of explosives yesterday at a funeral in the North of Afghanistan, killing 19 people, including a parliamentarian, said the Ministry of the Interior.

The attack occurred at a time when mourners were ready to retire at the end of the funeral of an old tribeño in the village of Talaqan, Takhar province, said the statement, and indicated that the explosion left further 40 wounded. Among the dead was the parliamentarian Abdul Mutaleb Baik.

Suicide attacks are rare in Takhar province 250 kilometers northeast of Kabul which is considered derada one of lasa quieter regions of the country.

Sayed Ikramuddin Masomi, another legislator from the province, confirmed the death Baik.

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

There was no immediate of responsibility attribution

In the u000alast year, the Taliban has repeatedly attacked officials and other prominent figures in an attempt to paralyze the Government. In September a suicide bomber killed Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former Afghan President who headed the Council of peace of the country

The President Hamid Karzai immediately condemned the attack in Takhar, calling it "an inhumane action by enemies of Afghanistan". American general John Allen, Supreme Commander of the international coalition in Afghanistan, said that "these attackers are cowards that they attack cruelly families and friends gathered at the funeral of a loved one".

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