Kabul, Dec 1 (IANS/EFE): At least nine people died, among them two police officers, and 22 were wounded, mostly civilians, in a suicide attack Monday at the funeral of a tribal leader in Baghlan in northern Afghanistan, officials said.

The attack occurred when the suicide bomber detonated explosives he was carrying during the funeral ceremony in Burka district in the northern part of the province, said Mahmood Haqmal, a spokesperson for the provincial governor.

"Nine people, among them two police officers -- one of them a major -- died and another 22, including four police officers, were wounded," confirmed Haqmal.

The funeral took place near the premises of the district police office.

In a statement, Chief Executive of the Afghan government, Abdullah Abdullah, denounced the attack as an "inhuman act" against civilians.

In recent weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed an escalation in violence with a rising number of insurgent attacks, including a suicide bombing that killed 61 people at a volleyball game in eastern Afghanistan two weeks ago in one of the worst massacres this year.

Kabul has been especially affected with more than nine attacks in the last two days, three of them against western targets.

The country is preparing for the withdrawal of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from the country by the end of this year.

The ISAF's mission began in 2001 after the US invasion that toppled the Taliban.

However according to two security agreements signed by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, a reduced contingent of troops will remain in the country to advise and train local troops from 2015.

According to the agreements, around 9,800 US troops and some 3,000 to 4,000 NATO troops will remain in the country till 2024.