A suspected al-Qaida suicide bomber blew himself up today during the funeral of a moderate Muslim cleric, killing 20 people including the Kabul police chief, and wounding 42 others, officials said.

The Taliban stronghold of Jalalabad was reported to have fallen today to a warlord who has refused to ally himself to either side in the war for Afghanistan.

For the first time in weeks, relieved residents of Kabul awoke today after a night free of the nearby crash of US bombs.