Ten Die in Attack on Afghan Elders

A suicide attack ripped through a gathering of tribal elders in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province on Wednesday, killing 10 people, interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said.

"A suicide attacker targeted a gathering of tribal elders in the Asmar district of Kunar today," Bashary told Agence France Presse. "Ten people have been martyred and seven others have been injured."

He said the dead included a key local pro-government elder.

The district police chief, Mohammad Shoaib, said the bomber blew himself up after approaching an elder, Malik Zarin, to hug him in greeting.

"The suicide attacker approached them, hugged Malik Zarin and then detonated the explosives strapped to his body," Shoaib said.

The Taliban and other insurgents frequently target pro-government figures as part of their near 10-year campaign against government forces and the roughly 130,000 international troops in Afghanistan.

Kunar is among Afghanistan's most restive provinces and is on the border with Pakistan, where insurgents are thought to have rear bases.

But the Taliban denied responsibility for Wednesday's attack in a text message sent to AFP.

The mountainous province of Kunar is one of the chief strongholds of the Taliban and their al-Qaida-linked allies in their battle against the government in Kabul and its international NATO allies.

Suicide attacks and roadside bombings are the main weapons of choice for the insurgents.

The accidental deaths of civilians in international military operations in Kunar in recent months have triggered a wave of protests in Afghanistan.