A suicide bomber targeted a memorial service in the northeastern province of Badakhshan on Thursday, murdering at least 13 persons, according to officials.
According to Abdul Nafi Takor, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the interior ministry, a former Taliban police official was among those slain, and at least 30 people were injured in the detonation near Nabawi Mosque.
Blast in Afghanistan's Badakhshan Kills 13
He added that the number of casualties may increase as more information becomes available. The Badakhshan provincial governor's office reported that a suicide bomber carried out the attack and that "several of the severely injured were transferred to Kabul for further treatment by military helicopters."
Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan, was murdered in a car bombing on Tuesday in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan. A memorial service was conducted for him, as per Fox News.
The Taliban official in charge of information and culture, Moazuddin Ahmadi, stated that former Taliban police commander in Baghlan, Safiullah Samim, was among those slain in Thursday's attack. Per ABC News, the attack also claimed the life of the deputy governor's chauffeur and injured ten others.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Islamic State, a major Taliban rival, claimed responsibility for the car bombing on Tuesday. Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack, tweeting that the bombardment of mosques is "terrorism" and "contrary to human and Islamic values."
Afghanistan Bombing
Several senior Taliban officials and hundreds of Faizabad residents attended Ahmadi's funeral on Wednesday. Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban's military commander, condemned the IS attacks in Badakhshan and urged the populace to cooperate with Taliban security forces and report suspicious activity in their regions.
In December, the provincial police commander of Badakhshan was murdered by a vehicle bomb on his way to work. The IS regional affiliate, Islamic State in Khorasan Province, claimed responsibility for the attack at the time. IS claimed it placed an explosive-laden vehicle on the road and detonated it when the police commander was nearby.
At the time, the regional affiliate of the Islamic State, known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province, claimed responsibility for the attack. IS claimed it placed an explosive-laden vehicle on the road and detonated it when the police commander was nearby.
Per The Hill, the most recent detonation occurred near the Nabawi mosque during the funeral of Badakhshan's deputy governor, Mawlavi Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi. Tuesday, he and his chauffeur were murdered by a vehicle bomb in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan.
The provincial director of information and culture could not provide an exact number of casualties, but an investigation is underway.
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