Suicide bomber attacks Afghanistan funeral, kills parliament member

REPORTING FROM KABUL -- A suicide bomber struck a funeral gathering in northern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least 19 people, including a member of parliament, and heightening fears of an accelerating slide into violence in a part of the country that was once relatively peaceful.

The attack, which also left dozens of mourners injured, took place in the city of Taloquan, the capital of Takhar province, north of the capital, Kabul, where relatively few coalition troops are present and the insurgents are thought to be gaining strength.

The slain lawmaker was Abdul Matlab Baik, a well known anti-Taliban figure. A provincial spokesman, Faiz Mohammad Tawhidi, said officials believed he was deliberately targeted in the attack.

Baik had previously served as provincial police chief and as a deputy minister of tribal affairs in the government of President Hamid Karzai.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/12/suicide-bomber-attacks-afghanistan-funeral-parliament-member-dead.html