Authorities say a suicide bombing killed 25 people in eastern Afghanistan Tuesday, in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in recent weeks.
The attacker struck a funeral for a tribal elder in the remote Dur Baba district of Nangarhar Province.
Officials say the district governor, Hamisha Gul, was the probable target. He was among the more than 50 people wounded in the blast. Police say the governor's son was killed.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Taliban is known to target Afghan government officials.
Local officials say the district governor may have been attacked because he and other villagers had recently decided to fight insurgents in the area.
A recent United Nations report said 1,145 civilians were killed in the first half of this year, with insurgents responsible for 80 percent of civilian casualties.
The attack comes as international combat forces continue to transfer security control to their Afghan counterparts, as they complete their withdrawal by the end of 2014.
The attacker struck a funeral for a tribal elder in the remote Dur Baba district of Nangarhar Province.
Officials say the district governor, Hamisha Gul, was the probable target. He was among the more than 50 people wounded in the blast. Police say the governor's son was killed.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Taliban is known to target Afghan government officials.
Local officials say the district governor may have been attacked because he and other villagers had recently decided to fight insurgents in the area.
A recent United Nations report said 1,145 civilians were killed in the first half of this year, with insurgents responsible for 80 percent of civilian casualties.
The attack comes as international combat forces continue to transfer security control to their Afghan counterparts, as they complete their withdrawal by the end of 2014.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
