11 people killed in blast near a mosque in Afghanistan's Badakhshan

At least 11 people were killed when an explosion occurred near a mosque in northern Afghanistan at a memorial service for the Taliban's provincial deputy governor

Afghanistan
Photo: Bloomberg
ANI Asia
3 min read Last Updated : Jun 09 2023 | 8:27 AM IST

At least 11 people were killed when an explosion occurred near a mosque in northern Afghanistan at a memorial service for the Taliban's provincial deputy governor, who died in an attack earlier this week, officials said, according to Al Jazeera.

The explosion happened during the memorial service for Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan who was killed in a car bombing on Tuesday.

A former Taliban police official was among those killed and more than 30 others were wounded in the explosion near Nabawi Mosque on Thursday, according to Abdul Nafi Takor, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the interior ministry.

Takor said there were concerns that the number of casualties could rise further.

The attack in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, also killed the deputy governor's driver and wounded 10 other people.

A car bombing on Tuesday claimed the life of Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan, and the explosion took place during his memorial service. The deputy governor's chauffeur was also killed in the attack in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, and ten other people were injured.

Safiullah Samim, a former Afghan police chief in Baghlan, was reportedly killed in the explosion on Thursday, according to Moazuddin Ahmadi, the Afghan official in charge of communication and culture, according to Al Jazeera.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and tweeted that the bombing of mosques is an act of "terrorism" and goes "against human and Islamic standards".

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The ISIL (ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the car bombing on Tuesday.

The Taliban administration has been carrying out raids against members of ISIL, which has claimed several major attacks in urban centres, Al Jazeera reported.

The group has targeted Taliban administration officials and claimed the killing of the governor of northern Balkh province in an attack in March.

Several senior Taliban officials attended Ahmadi's funeral, which took place on Wednesday, along with hundreds of residents of Faizabad.

The Afghan military chief, Fasihuddin Fitrat, denounced the attacks in Badakhshan and asked people to cooperate with Afghan security forces and report suspicious activities in their areas, Al Jazeera reported.

In December, a car bombing killed Badakhshan's provincial police chief as he was on his way to work.

The ISIL regional affiliate, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, said at the time that it had carried out that attack. The group said it had parked an explosive-laden car on the road and detonated it when the police chief was close by.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Afghanistanexplosion

First Published: Jun 09 2023 | 8:27 AM IST

Next Story