Suicide blast hits Afghan funeral

At least nine killed and 20 wounded in suicide attack at
funeral in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan.
At least nine people , including two policemen , have been
killed in a suicide attack at a funeral of a tribal elder in
Afghanistan' s Baghlan province , police officials have said .
Aminullah Amarkhil , the police chief of the northern
province, said at least 20 others were wounded in Monday' s
attack in Burka District.
Taj Mohammad Taqwa , the district chief of Burka,
confirmed the death toll to AFP news agency .
"The target was probably a number of high -ranking police
officials and provincial council members who were attending
the ceremony , " he said . "They are unharmed. "
There was no immediate claim of responsibility .
Monday' s blast comes after a spate of attacks in Kabul , the
Afghan capital , in recent weeks , as US- led NATO forces
prepare to wrap up a 13 -year combat mission against the
Taliban.
Fighters have targeted foreign guest houses , embassy
vehicles , US troops , Afghan army buses and a female
member of parliament in recent weeks .
They also launched a four -day attack on a major military
base in the southern province of Helmand that was only
handed over by NATO a month ago , and killed 12 soldiers
at a separate outpost in the same province on Saturday .
Afghan soldiers and police have suffered soaring casualties
on the battlefield , with more than 4 , 600 killed this year as
they take on the Taliban with less assistance from the US
military .
Afghanistan faces a fragile economy and declining aid funds
as well as worsening violence .
Ghani and chief executive officer Abdullah Abdullah will
visit NATO headquarters in Brussels Monday before
attending a conference in London in a public show of unity
after they signed a power-sharing deal in September.
NATO troop numbers in Afghanistan peaked at 130 , 000 in
2010 , and fears are growing that the declining international
presence will lead to an increase in Taliban activity.