Bomb kills 40 at wedding party in Afghanistan

The bomb blast late on Wednesday almost completely flattened the outer wall of a compound in the Arghandab district of Kandahar where male wedding guests had gathered for a meal. The windows and walls of the mud-brick dwellings were shattered and cracked. Women guests at the party were in another compound that was not hit by the explosion,witnesses said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said children were among the dead,and that it was a suicide attack. He said at least 40 were killed and 74 wounded. The groom was among the injured.

The family that was attacked included a number of Afghan police officers. The grooms brother and two of his cousins were in the police force,according to another cousin,Mohammad Alkozay.

This is a crime of massive inhuman proportions against civilians, Karzai said.