Suicide bomber kills 20 in Afghanistan

Afghan National Police leave a mosque after prayers at their base in Lashkar Gah, Helmand, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012. In eastern Afghanistan a suicide car bomber blew up his vehicle near the gate of a U.S.- Afghan combat outpost Wednesday, wounding at least 10 Afghan soldiers. AP

KABUL, Afghanistan—A government spokesman says a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 20 people and wounding 50.

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.