Suicide blast kills powerful Afghan police chief

TALOQAN, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed one of the most powerful men in north Afghanistan on Saturday, underlining the spread of insurgent violence in once peaceful parts of the country and casting a shadow over plans for Afghans to take control of security.A provincial police chief, at least two Afghan policemen and two German soldiers also died in the attack on political and military leaders, Afghan and NATO officials said.They were meeting in the capital of northern Takhar province to discuss an operation against insurgents, and at least another 10 people were injured, including the provincial governor, said the governor's spokesman Faiz Mohammad Tawhidi.NATO's commander for the northern region, German Major General Markus Kneip, was among the wounded but not seriously hurt, General Rainer Glatz told reporters in Berlin.The most high-profile casualty was General Dawood Dawood, police chief of north Afghanistan, a former deputy interior minister and before that a close associate of mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Masood.The loss of such a prominent and influential leader is a big blow to a force which is struggling to professionalise and shake off a reputation for abuse and corruption as foreign forces prepare to hand over security responsibilities in coming years.He had been energetic opponent of the growing insurgent movement in the north, fostering state-sponsored armed self-defence groups known as the Afghan Local Police and organising campaigns against the Taliban.The day of his death he held a news conference announcing the start of operation Hope, which aimed to oust the insurgents from Takhar and neighbouring Kunduz, where they have only gained a strong foothold in recent years.