Violence kills 30 in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 30 people died in a burst of violence around Afghanistan on Friday, including 10 mostly civilian victims of a suicide bombing outside a mosque in Kabul’s Shiite community and 18 Afghan police and soldiers killed in scattered fighting in northern Takhar province, officials said.

The unusually deadly spate of insurgent violence came 10 days after a dramatic offer by President Ashraf Ghani to hold unconditional peace talks with Taliban militants, whose fighters have been battling Afghan forces in Takhar and a dozen other provinces.

The group has not publicly responded to Ghani’s invitation.