Afghanistan Latest: Dozens Killed in Suicide Attack on Mosque (Pajhwok)

A suicide attacker killed nearly 36 people, including security men and civilians, when he blew himself up outside a mosque in the Mainmana City, capital of northern Faryab province on Friday.

The brazen attack took place at about 9:30 am in front of a mosque’s entrance in the provincial capital when worshippers were congregating for the Eid al-Adha celebration.

Police official Maj. Mohammad Naeem said the attacker detonated his explosives among the security forces when police chief and other security officers were leaving the mosque after Eid prayer.

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Afghanistan News: At Least 8 Killed in Protests over Qur'an Burning

Photo: Ahmad Masood (Reuters)At least eight people were reportedly killed and almost two dozen injured today in protests in Afghanistan over the alleged burning of the Qur'an at the American airbase, Camp Bagram.

Protests were held in the cities of Jalalabad and the capital Kabul, as well as Parwan Province, where Bagram is located. Police clashed with protesters who threw rocks and burnt tires, blocking the highways in several parts of the country.

Afghan news agency Pajhwok reported that police opened fire in Parwan's Shinwari district whne protesters tried to storm government buildings, resulting in at least six deaths. One protester each was killed in Logar Province and in Jalalabad, in Nengrahar Province.

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Afghanistan Latest: 12 Dead in Suicide Attacks on British Council (Pajhwok and BBC))

Twelve people, including four suicide bombers, were killed and as many others wounded after multiple suicide bombers stormed the Cultural Centre of the British Consulate Friday, officials said....

It was a three-phase attack: First, a suicide attacker detonated his explosive vest at a main square in western Kabul where police were guarding a key intersection shortly after 05:30 (01:30 GMT).

Ten minutes later, a suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle outside the front gate of the British Council.

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Afghanistan: NATO Helicopters Break Taliban Siege of Intercontinental Hotel; At Least 18 Killed (Pajhwok News)

Complementing this report from Afghanistan's Pajhwok News, the BBC emphasises that the insurgents were killed by a NATO aerial attack on the rooftop of the Intercontinental Hotel. Afghanistan officials say one insurgent, hiding in a hotel room, subsequent blew himself up, also killing two police and a Spanish tourist.

Eight civilians, two policemen and eight Taliban fighters were among 18 killed in a suicide attack on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel, the Ministry of Interior said.

The attack began around 10:30 PM Tuesday and lasted until 3:00 AM Wednesday morning.

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Afghanistan: Government Peace Council Asks Taliban to Present Conditions for Talks (Pajhwok)

Rahmatullah Afghan reports for Pajhwok Afghan News:

The Afghan government-backed High Peace Council has asked the Taliban to present their conditions that could help the peace process move forward, an official said on Friday.

The Taliban have been asked to provide reasonable conditions for entering a dialogue process with the 70-member peace council, Ataullah Ludin, a member of the council said on Friday.

In early June, as many as 1,200 elders and influential people attended the Peace Advisory Jirga in Kabul. The jirga had called for the creation of a council to ensure the reintegration of Taliban and other anti-government elements into society.

The jirga had asked the government and the international community to pave the ground for talks with all disgruntled individuals and groups. It demanded the formation of a peace council to arrange negotiations with militant groups.

The Taliban, who are waging a bloody insurgency, have rejected the peace council. They have said until foreign soldiers do not leave the country, the group led by Mullah Muhammad Omar, would not talk with the West-baked Afghan government.

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Afghanistan LiveBlog: The 2nd Parliamentary Elections

EA correspondent Josh Shahryar with the latest rolling news from the second elections for Afghanistan's parliament. The LiveBlog is also available on Josh's personal site, The Daily Nite Owl:

1845 GMT

The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan has expressed concern about "extensive irregularities" and called on the Independent Election Commission to ensure the integrity of the rest of the electoral process. 

Insecurity and violence shaped the voting process in large swaths of the country. FEFA observers reported serious security incidents around at least 389 polling centers. Polling centers were blown up in Kunar, Khost and Kandahar and captured in Laghman, Kunduz and Badghis, shutting down voting in the communities those centers served.

Violence by candidates, their agents and local powerbrokers was reported in several areas and so were a worrying number of instances of government official interfering in the voting process to sway the results in favor of their chosen candidates.

Ballot stuffing was seen to varying extents in most provinces, as were proxy voting and underage voting.

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