Afghan blast kills Police Chief, 20

A suicide bomber walked into a mosque during the funeral of a Muslim cleric and blew himself up yesterday, killing 20 people, including Kabul's police chief, and wounding 42 others.

The attack was the deadliest in Afghanistan since a surge in violence began in March, casting doubt on U.S. declarations that it is stabilizing the country, and reinforcing fears that militants here are copying the tactics of those in Iraq. Hundreds of mourners were crowded inside the mosque for the funeral of Mullah Abdul Fayaz in the main southern city of Kandahar when the bomber struck.