MAZAR-E-SHARIF: A suicide bomber killed a prominent anti-Taliban politician and 22 other guests at a wedding reception in the northern Afghan province of Samangan on Saturday, officials said.
The bomber blew himself up as he hugged lawmaker Ahmad Khan Samangani, who was celebrating his daughter’s marriage, police said. The blast also killed the provincial intelligence chief and a senior police commander.
Samangani was close to Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, and commanded thousands of men in the area. The Uzbeks are part of an uneasy coalition of minority tribes that fight the Taliban in their area.
At least 23 people were killed and 60 others wounded, said a statement from President Hamid Karzai condemning the attack.
“The enemies of Afghanistan once again targeted mujahideen figures who strive for national unity,” Karzai said. The wounded were in critical condition and the death toll could rise, said regional police spokesman Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai.
Samangani had told guards at the party not to inconvenience guests with security searches, said provincial police chief Khalil Andarabi.
The Taliban denied responsibility for the incident. “We don’t have a hand in this,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. “Ahmad Khan (Samangani) was a former commander of the mujahideen, he was notorious and many people could have had problems with him.”
Samangani, an ethnic Uzbek, fought against the Soviets in the 1980s, and against the Taliban during their 1996-2001 rule.
He may have had enemies other than the Taliban, said Kabul-based political analyst Waheed Mujhda.
“Former warlords have frequently been targeted in the past,” he said. “Ahmad Khan Samangani was a strongman in terms of security for Samangan province. His loss will certainly affect security in that region.”
In a separate incident on Saturday, a police official was gunned down in the southern city of Kandahar, the governor’s spokesman said. — Reuters
APP adds from Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned suicide attack at a wedding reception in Mazar-e-Sharif resulting in loss of precious lives.
President Zardari, in a condolence message to the members of the bereaved families, expressed sorrow and grief over the loss of lives of innocent people and prayed that Almighty Allah rest the departed souls in eternal peace.