Suicide Bomber Assassinates Afghan Peace Council Leader

Afghanistan's struggle to make peace with the Taliban received a serious blow today when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb hidden in his turban during a meeting with the Afghan officials most critical to reconciliation efforts.

The blast killed Burhanuddin Rabbani, a towering figure who led Afghanistan's High Peace Council and has played a key role in nearly every step of Afghan history for the last 30 years, and severely wounded Masoom Stanakzai, the backbone of President Karzai's strategy in speaking with the Taliban.