Afghan official killed by blast

The pro-Western governor of a key northern Afghanistan province and at least 18 other people were killed Friday in a massive explosion as they prayed in a crowded mosque, officials said.

Mohammed Omar, the governor of Kunduz province, had warned of the dangers of the growing influence of the Taliban and other insurgent groups in Afghanistan’s north.

His death was the latest in a string of deadly assaults on government officials, including the assassination last week of a deputy governor in Ghazni province. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but authorities blamed insurgents.

Omar, who was not related to the Taliban supreme leader of the same name, had survived at least two assassination attempts.

“I don’t think about these threats,” he said in an interview last year with The Times. “Everyone is in danger.”

The governor was killed in the capital of Takhar province, which borders Kunduz. It was his native province and he often visited, especially on Fridays, the Muslim Sabbath.

The blast devastated a landmark mosque in the city of Taloqan, injuring dozens of worshipers. Bloodstained victims staggered out of the shattered building.

Takhar province, like Kunduz, has been the scene of a buildup by insurgents who have targeted a northern supply route used by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The two provinces are also used as an infiltration route by Islamist militants from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Western and Afghan officials have said.

The insurgents have sought for months to open battle fronts in parts of the country other than the south, where most of the additional U.S. troops arriving this year have been deployed. Two Western service members were killed in roadside bombings in the south, NATO said Friday.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, together with Western military officials, condemned the mosque bombing. Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, the director of strategic communications for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, called it “unconscionable.”

Elsewhere, Afghan officials said at least five members of a community police force were killed in a NATO helicopter strike in the eastern province of Khowst. NATO acknowledged killing some armed men in the area, but said the incident was under investigation.

The attack took place not far from where NATO helicopters last week crossed into Pakistani airspace and killed two Pakistani soldiers. U.S. officials apologized and said it was an accident.

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laura.king@latimes.com

Yaqubi is a special correspondent.