Afghanistan | Suicide bombing at funeral kills 9

An Afghan official says a suicide bomber detonated his payload at a crowded funeral, killing two police and seven civilians. Taj Mohammed Taqwa, chief of the Burka district in the Baghlan province north of Kabul, says the attacker appeared to be targeting police and local officials, including him, who were among some 1,000 people attending Monday’s funeral. Taliban insurgents have stepped up attacks across Afghanistan in the run-up to the official end of the U.S. and NATO combat mission on Dec. 31, raising concerns about whether local security forces will be able to protect the country as foreign troops shift to a supporting role.

India | 13 paramilitary troops dead in Maoist attack

Police say at least 13 paramilitary troops have been killed in an attack by Maoist rebels in central India. R.K. Vij, a top police official in Chhattisgarh state, says the attack took place Monday in Sukma district, 385 kilometers south of Raipur, the state capital. Few other details were immediately available from the remote region. The rebels have been called India’s biggest internal security threat. They operate in 20 of India’s 28 states and have thousands of fighters, according to the Home Ministry.