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Deadly suicide attack on Afghanistan funeral in Takhar Deadly suicide attack on Afghanistan funeral in Takhar
(about 3 hours later)
At least 20 people have been killed in a suicide attack on a funeral procession in the northern Afghan province of Takhar, officials say. At least 22 people, including a prominent MP, have been killed in a suicide bombing at a funeral in north-eastern Afghanistan, officials say.
Police said 30 were hurt in the attack in the provincial capital, Taloqan. Fifty people were also hurt when a man detonated his explosive vest as prayers were about to be said at the funeral in Taloqan, a city in Takhar province.
Among those killed was local MP Mutalib Beg, a former commander in the Western-backed Northern Alliance - the faction that fought against the Taliban. Local MP Mutalib Beg, a former commander in the Western-backed Northern Alliance, died at the scene.
Takhar is one of the provinces where Nato is handing over security duties to Afghan forces. Takhar has seen a series of high-profile attacks over the last year.
The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says this is the third time a former Northern Alliance commander has been killed in the province. In May, the police commander for northern Afghanistan was assassinated in a suicide bomb attack on the provincial governor's compound.
He says Matalib Beg, an ethnic Uzbek, was an influential commander and a former police chief of Kunduz province. 'Target'
Intelligence and security officials told the BBC that Sunday's suicide attack took place at about 12:00 (07:30 GMT), as people gathered for the funeral of a government official in Taloqan.
The interior ministry said most of the casualties were civilians.
There are reports that other senior officials were also at the funeral.There are reports that other senior officials were also at the funeral.
Although suicide attacks in the area are rare, our correspondent says an al-Qaeda affiliated group called the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan operates in the province. The governor of Takhar, Abdul Jabar Taqwa, said that like Mutalib Beg he had been invited to the funeral, but decided not to attend.
No group has said it carried out the attack, but the Taliban and the IMU are likely to be among the main suspects. "The target was either me or the MP," he told the AFP news agency.
Takhar governor Abdul Jabar Taqwa said he had been invited but had decided not to attend. An ethnic Uzbek, Mr Beg represented the province in the lower house of parliament, the House of the People.
He was a former commander of the Jamiat-e-Islami party, part of the Northern Alliance - the faction that fought against the Taliban.
He also once served as police chief in the neighbouring province of Kunduz.
No group has said it carried out the attack, but the BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says an al-Qaeda affiliated group called the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) operates in north-eastern Afghanistan.