Suicide Bomber Kills 23 at Afghan Wedding

A suicide bomber blew himself up as he hugged a prominent anti-Taliban lawmaker at his daughter’s wedding. Twenty-two other guests at the wedding reception were also killed, reports Reuters. Ahmad Khan Samangani, a former Uzbek warlord turned politician was the latest victim of attacks against members of the country’s minority groups. His death adds to growing fears that Afghanistan could descend into civil war after foreign troops withdraw in 2014 amid faltering efforts to unify the country’s different ethnic factions, points out the Associated Press.

The Taliban quickly denied responsibility for the attack but there’s no denying that Sanagani had lots of enemies, points out the BBC, noting speculation has turned ot the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The IMU is a fundamentalist militant group that has ties to al-Qaida. It’s also important to remember that the Taliban often tries to distance itself from attacks that have lots of civilian casualties, as Reuters notes.