Suicide Bomber Kills 10 At Afghan Goat Game

A suicide bomber blew himself up during a traditional Afghan game of buzkashi, killing at least 10 spectators in the northern province of Kunduz on Wednesday, the local governor’s office said.

Among those killed were the district police chief who is the brother of Afghanistan’s House Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Kunduz governor said. Two other family members were also killed.

At least 10 people were wounded when the attacker strapped with explosives, who was in the crowd, struck during the game being played in front of 3,000 spectators, the spokesman said.

For years after the Taliban were overthrown in 2001, northern Afghanistan was largely free of insurgent violence but security has been deteriorating over the past two years.

Ten police officers, including the local counter-terrorism chief, were killed in a suicide bombing in Kunduz in late January.

Buzkashi, or “goat grabbing,” is the national sport of Afghanistan, and involves two teams who try to accumulate points by propelling a headless goat carcass to the scoring area.

This article appeared in print on page 3 of the March 14th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.