KABUL- Days after Abdul Fayaz led Muslim clerics in denouncing the Taliban, assassins shot him dead. Then at his funeral this week, a suicide bomber exploded among mourners in one of the worst terror attacks since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001.
The bloodshed underlined for Afghan religious and political leaders the dangers of being a moderate in this divided nation and of supporting the country's U.S.-backed government.
"People had believed ... that the Taliban was a spent force. But they are still out there and have proven they can act in the center of a major city," said Joanna Nathan, a Kabul-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, a think tank with headquarters in Belgium.
The suicide bombing Wednesday at the mosque in Kandahar, the main city in southern Afghanistan and the Taliban's former stronghold, killed 20 people, including Kabul's police chief, Gen. Akram Khakrezwal, a supporter of President Hamid Karzai, and six of his bodyguards.
Security was tight for the funeral because several local leaders were expected to attend, but the attacker managed to evade detection and get close to the police commander before detonating the explosives strapped to his body.
No one claimed responsibility. Kandahar Gov. Gul Agha Sherzai said the attacker was an Arab member of al-Qaida, citing an intelligence report that Arab members of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network had entered Afghanistan to carry out attacks.
A purported Taliban spokesman, Mullah Latif Hakimi, denied responsibility for the bombing in a call to The Associated Press, but claimed the rebels did kill Fayaz. Information provided by Hakimi has sometimes proved untrue or exaggerated, and his exact tie to the rebel leadership is not clear.
Fayaz, the leading Muslim cleric in Kandahar province, was killed Sunday by two gunmen - a week after he led a meeting of Islamic clergy that called for Afghans to back Karzai's administration and not to support the Taliban, accusing them of murdering innocent civilians.
Hours after the bombing, unsigned "night letters" were distributed in parts of Kandahar threatening to kill people who cooperate with the government or the U.S.-led military coalition. They did not mention the suicide attack, however.
Hamid Shah Khan, a Kandahar businessman who has registered as a legislative candidate and supports Karzai, said there has always been a threat of violence against pro-government politicians.
"We knew about this when we enrolled. But I am not intimidated," he said. "Of course, we hope the government will take care of security."
The main Muslim organization in Afghanistan, the Ulama Council, issued a statement Thursday urging the government to guarantee the security of clerics.
At least two other anti-Taliban Islamic leaders have been slain in Kandahar the past two years, and four clerics were killed in neighboring Uruzgan province during that time for backing the government, Uruzgan Gov. Jan Mohammed said.
Last month, suspected Taliban gunmen killed an influential cleric in nearby Ghazni province after he enrolled as a candidate and expressed support for Karzai.
Taliban-led rebels have stepped up activities after a winter lull in fighting, with almost daily clashes with security forces, roadside bombings and killings.
But they have also suffered heavy casualties. American and Afghan officials say about 200 suspected insurgents have been killed since March, and U.S. commanders remain upbeat about bringing peace and stability.