Wednesday, June 1 2005 13:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kandahar: A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan today (Jun 1, 2005), killing at least 27 people including the police chief of the capital Kabul, witnesses and officials told agencies.

The blast occurred as prayers were offered for an Islamic cleric who was shot dead by suspected Taliban militants at the weekend, witnesses and an intelligence official said.

An agency correspondent at the scene said he saw, "At least 27 dead bodies" at the Maulvi Abdul Rab mosque in central Kandahar, a city known as the birthplace of the ousted Taliban regime.

"One man entered the mosque and blew himself up. The explosion killed more than 20 people and lot of people are injured. General Akram, police chief in Kabul, was also killed," the correspondent said.

"There were some 50 to 60 people inside the mosque when the explosion occurred. This was a very big explosion and there is blood everywhere in the mosque and outside it," he said. "Human limbs are scattered all over the mosque compound."

An intelligence official also confirmed that General Akram had died.

Interior Ministry spokesman Lutfullah Mashal said, "At least two dozen people" had died in the blast and a number of high-ranking provincial and Government officials were in the mosque at the time.

The blast took place around 09:00 hrs (local time) (10:00 hrs IST) this morning during prayers for the religious leader, he said.