Suicide Attack in Afghanistan Leave 27 Casualty

A suicide attack at a funeral in northern Afghanistan killed at least nine people and injured at least 18 other on Monday, officials said.
The blast followed a series of attacks in the capital Kabul which have heightened concern that Afghanistan could tip into a spiral of violence.
The NATO force in Afghanistan will change on December 31 from a combat mission to a support role, with troop numbers cut to about 12,500 -- down from a peak of 130,000 in 2010.
"A suicide bomber on foot detonated his explosives among people who were attending a funeral ceremony in Burka district this morning," Aminullah Amarkhil, police chief of Baghlan province, told AFP.
"Initial reports show nine people, including two police, were killed and around 18 wounded."
Amarkhil said the funeral was for a tribal elder in Baghlan, a province on the main road from Kabul to Mazar-e-Sharif that has suffered worsening security in recent years.
Taj Mohammad Taqwa, the district chief of Burka, confirmed the death toll.
"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.
President Ashraf Ghani, who came to power in September, has vowed to bring peace to Afghanistan after decades of conflict, saying he is open to talks with any insurgent group.