A suicide bomber struck outside government buildings in northern Afghanistan today, killing 14 people including a local politician in the latest attack to target provincial officials.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and took the wounded to hospital after the bomber, who was wearing police uniform, blew himself up next to Rasoul Mohseni, the head of Baghlan's provincial council.
Also among the dead were seven police guards and several other people waiting to speak to Mohseni, who was walking into the government offices in Pul-e-Khumri city when he was killed.
"I collected information from different hospitals and the death toll is 14. Another nine people are wounded," Zubair Akbary, the provincial public health director, told AFP.
Taliban insurgents said they had deliberately targeted Mohseni, who was head of the provincial council -- an elected body in each of Afghanistan's 34 provinces that liaises between residents and the local government.
"One of our mujahideen conducted today's attack, and killed Mohseni and 11 of his friends," spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told AFP. "He was corrupt and an anti-Taliban man. We are very happy to have achieved our aim."
Khalil Musadeq, the chief of the Pul-e-Khumri hospital, confirmed that at least 11 people, including Mohseni, were killed in the blast.
President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and blamed the bombing on the "enemies of Afghanistan", a phrase Afghan officials often use to refer to the Taliban.
Karzai said that the attack was "a cowardly act against all Islamic teachings and human values".
Pul-e-Khumri is the capital of Baghlan, a province located in the more peaceful north of Afghanistan but which sees regular attacks by Taliban insurgents.
