Men mourn beside the bodies of victims from today's suicide bomb attack in Maymana, Afghanistan.

Witnesses say a man detonated a suicide vest outside a mosque, killing many civilians and police officers. It happened in part of the country normally thought to be safe, but where another attack this week left five police officers dead.

An explosion outside a mosque in northwest Afghanistan today killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens more.

From Kabul, NPR's Sean Carberry reports that witnesses have said a man approached on foot and then detonated a suicide bomb. It happened in Maymana, the capital of Faryab Province. Worshipers were gathering to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Details vary on how many were killed and wounded. Sean tells our Newscast Desk that officials say there were at least 35 people killed and 70 wounded. Al-Jazeera is reporting there were at least 41 deaths and 51 injured.

The BBC says "the victims were mainly police officers and civilians. Officials said that 14 civilians and six children were among the dead." It also writes that:

"One prominent tribal elder who survived the blast said the attacker was wearing police uniform and was not searched by members of the security forces, the BBC's Bilal Sarwary reports."

Sean adds that "the north and west of Afghanistan are considered the safer parts of the country. However on Wednesday, insurgents attacked a bazaar in Faryab Province, which resulted in the deaths of five police officers and 25 insurgents."

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