E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSAccording to government officials, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in northern Afghanistan, killing 40 people and wounding more than 50. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing 40 people and wounding more than 50, government and hospital officials said.
The attack in the town of Maymana, capital of northern Faryab province, came as people were gathering at the mosque to celebrate the Eid al-Adha holiday, said Jawid Didar, spokesman for the governor's office.
Top provincial officials, including the governor and the police chief, were inside the building when the bomber set off his explosives outside, where a large crowd had gathered, Didar said. The officials were not hurt, but the casualties included police officers and soldiers, he said.
"There was blood and dead bodies everywhere," Khaled, a doctor who happened to be in the mosque at the time of the blast, told The Associated Press.
"It was a massacre," said Khaled, who like many Afghans uses only one name.
The death toll soon climbed to 40, with more than 50 people wounded, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Information told NBC News.
Afghan officials told NBC that it was too soon to determine whether Afghan security forces were the primary target of the bomber, or whether the bomber was wearing a uniform of any kind.
Afghan woman beheaded for refusing to become prostitute
A spate of so-called insider attacks -- carried out by members of the Afghan police or military -- has undermined trust between international troops and the local army and police, further weakened public support for the war in NATO countries and increased calls for earlier withdrawals.
Video from the scene showed the motionless bodies of several soldiers and policemen lying next to their vehicles parked on a tree-lined avenue of the city, located about 300 miles northwest of Kabul. On the sidewalk, a number of civilians lay along the mosque's outer wall, some writhing and moaning in pain.
Intensifying violence
Friday’s attack appeared to be the deadliest suicide bombing in recent months.
But violence is intensifying across the country, 11 years into the NATO-led war, sparking concerns over how the 350,000-strong Afghan security forces will manage once most foreign troops leave by the end of 2014.
Aref Karimi / AFP - Getty Images
More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.
On Sept. 4, 25 civilians were killed and more than 35 wounded in Nanghar province, and on Sept. 1, 12 people were killed and 47 wounded in a suicide attack in Wardak province.
The attack came as Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged Taliban insurgents "to stop killing other Afghans."
In his Eid al-Adha message to the nation, Karzai called on the insurgents to "stop the destruction of our mosques, hospitals and schools."
Pakistani girl shot by Taliban reunited with family
The United Nations says that Taliban attacks account for the vast majority of civilian casualties in the war. The insurgents routinely deny that they are responsible for attacks on civilians, saying they target only foreign troops or members of the Afghan security forces.
On Wednesday, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar urged his fighters to "pay full attention to the prevention of civilian casualties," saying the enemy was trying to blame them on the insurgents.
Taliban claims killing of 2 Americans
Also Friday, the Taliban claimed responsibility for killing two American service members in southern Uruzgan province, in what may have been the latest insider attack against Western troops.
Joint US-Afghan operations are becoming more common, and so are the risks. NBC's Lester Holt reports.
In an emailed statement, Taliban spokesman Jusuf Ahmadi said a member of the Afghan security forces shot the two men the day before, then escaped to join the insurgents.
Complete World coverage on NBCNews.com
Maj. Lori Hodge, spokeswoman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said on Thursday that authorities were trying to determine whether the attacker was a member of the Afghan security forces or an insurgent who donned a government uniform.
It was the second suspected insider attack in two days. On Wednesday, two British troops and an Afghan policeman were gunned down in Helmand province.
Sunni radicals target Shiites to fan sectarian flames in Pakistan
Before Thursday's assault, 53 foreigners attached to the U.S.-led coalition had been killed in attacks by Afghan soldiers or police this year.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
More world stories from NBC News:
- Syrian military agrees to Eid cease-fire; residents report shelling
- Olympic medals 'stolen' as athletes party at nightclub
- Outrage after video shows Chinese teacher abusing kindergarteners
- 'The new Afghanistan'? West turns its attention to Mali
- BBC ripped for handling of sex abuse scandal tied to former host
- Hate crimes rise, far right strengthens as Greece economy sinks
- Top 10 foreign policy issues facing a new president
- How a viral death rumor pushed Fidel Castro out of retirement
Leave a Comment:
We see Muslims inventing problems in most of the non-Muslim and Muslim nations.
Even in the US, we can notice these actions!
When Muslims form more than five percent, downhill march starts.
Muslims are inventing problems in Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines, India and other places.
When they form more than 30 percent then it is Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Lebanon (few decades back)
In Muslim majority nations, they kill each other!
It is supposed to be a holy day. Even on this day, see the those killed in mosque itself!!!
Better wake up before it is too late on inventions of problems by followers of Islamic cult!
and these are the people obama says we need to be culturally sensitive too? Lets show our support by bombing the crap out of them. Maybe they will like us then.
...how enlightnening. You education and class are truly showing through. Bravo.
proud is a genius! he's got it all figured out! We absolutely need 1.5 BILLION muslims to hate us. Brilliant!
they already hate us. Something you cannot seem to figure out. Whether you attack them or try to appease them they will hate you. Notice that obam has a lower approval rating in the Middle East then George Bush? Another fact you seem to ignore.
Their hatred towards us is cultural ... get it in your head. The true Muslims are terrified of the extremists. KILL THE EXTREMISTS and let the people have a true choice.
However, since you are such a diplomat Vermont Guy, I heartily invite you to go to Afghanistan under obama's ROE, hand out Teddy Bears and comeback in bag.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........
Islam: The religion of peace...I mean...blow-you-to-pieces.
Islam...the Religion of (Peace) I mean Pieces...(of flesh and bone)...
As long as the local populations continue to support them, these terrorists will continue to engage in their "anti-everybody but themselves" actions. If the mainstream media could keep these horrific stories on the front pages and thereby boost popular pressure against these terrorists, maybe it would eventually sink into the heads of the local populations that the Taliban and Al Quida are nothing more than subhuman infidels who are illegitimate and deserve no support whatsoever. Once popular support is withdrawn, these terrorists will begin to wither and die ... and the human race will be better for it.
What good could possibly come from this? What change could be accomplished? All that occures is hate between each other and centuries of blood for blood. I have no idea how anyone could stop this.
Nothing, nothing is sacred in that part of the world. Then again, we have our share of two legged animals roaming our streets.
So, why am I not surprized? I mean, we're talking about Mohammad, and that Alah thing.
We should make suicide bombers machines that say phuque you before popping the button.
Better yet, we should have bombs that sound out phuque you before it hits.
...I find it strange that there is not a single article on MSNBC website about recent Libya activities...did I miss? if so can someone tell me where to find...
Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that an urgent request from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. consulate and subsequent attack several hours later was denied by U.S. officials -- who also told the CIA operators twice to "stand down" rather than help the ambassador's team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.
Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to "stand down," according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to "stand down."
Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The rescue team from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.
At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Spectre gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights. The fighting at the CIA annex went on for more than four hours -- enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, among them Delta Force operators
...as former Democrat pollster Pat Cadell recently said; the (mainstream) media has become the enemy of the American people...
no way this could happen in such a peaceful country
It's high time for the anti-Taliban Afghans and Muslims to stand up for their version of Islam by embarking on insider attacks inside the Taliban, if they truly feel that their peaceful religion has been hijacked by extremists. Spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt among Taliban ranks is really the only way for the Taliban problem (if the moderates truly do see it as a problem) to go away.
"feast of the sacrifice"... how ironic.
News flash: NBC pushes Benghazi story off the radar. Why? Because Obama can do no wrong in there mind. Obama and his flunkies need to be tried for murder and dereliction of duty.
Maybe if we give them 4 trillion more dollars as a "Peace Dividend" they'll quit killing each other on holidays, in churchs and mosques, during funerals and weddings, and quit insider killings of our troops and after 2,400 years of killing each other, they'll all just kiss and make up. Ya think ???? Obviously our government thinks so.
It amazes me that there is no muslim uprisings over the destruction of a holy mosque and the death of 40 muslims on a holy islamic holiday to boot. Muslims killing muslims on a holy day and destroying a mosque didn't stir up a single muslim protest. Hmmm. But post a picture of prophet, educate the children, burn a koran, or post a video that describes the religion of death and destruction or just say something to offend one and the muslim's rise up to protest, destroy, and kill others even the ones that are trying to help them with aid. I will never understand the hypocracies and terror imposed in the name of ISLAM. I will also never understand how so many people can follow or except such a bloody religion.
NOT FOR ME. NEVER.
ISLAM you might as well add me to your death list.
I have nothing good to say about the religion or the followers who blindly carry out the orders to kill and destroy all that is good in the world.