Afghan mosque blast 'kills eight'

The governor of Nangarhar province, where the attack took place, escaped unhurt in the blast which wounded 16.

"I was the target and it was the work of Afghanistan's enemies," the governor, Gul Agha Sherzai, told the Reuters news agency.

He was among hundreds gathered at the mosque for a ceremony to mark the death of a former mujahideen commander.

Younis Khalis, one of the leaders of the mujahideen force which fought the Soviets in the 1980s and a strong supporter of the Taleban, died last week.

The blast took place at Hada, 10km (six miles) south of the Nangarhar capital, Jalalabad, close to the Pakistan border.

Witnesses say a car carrying the governor's bodyguards was damaged in the attack - four of them were among those killed, reports say.

The attack comes on the day that Nato forces assume command of military operations in southern Afghanistan, taking over from the US-led coalition.