Abdullah Laghmani and at least 21 other people were killed in the attack on a mosque in the town of Mehtar Lam.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that a suicide bomber had targeted Mr Laghmani.

Separately, the UN has released a report saying opium cultivation has dropped significantly in The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said poppy cultivation had dropped by 22 percent in a year and opium production by 10 percent.

Meanwhile, European and US envoys are meeting in Paris to discuss a new strategy in Afghanistan.

A unified response to allegations of fraud in the 20 August presidential election will be one of the main items on the agenda. The latest counting figures released show that incumbent President Hamid Karzai has slightly extended his lead.