Afghanistan's Balkh Governor killed in blast in his office

Balkh's Security Department's appointed spokesman, Mohammad Asif Waziri confirmed that Mohammad Dawood Muzamil, the Taliban-appointed Governor, was killed in that explosion.

"Today around 9:00 am, an individual who was armed with explosives blew himself up by the governor of Balkh, Mohammad Dawood Muzamil, from which unfortunately, the governor of Balkh, Mohammad Dawood Muzamil was martyred alongside two civilians. Also, four other people, including three military members and one civilian, were wounded," he said.

Meanwhile, Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid also on Twitter expressed sorrow over the killing of the provincial governor.

A statement from the department of security of Balkh said that an individual wearing a suicide vest blew himself up on the second floor near the office of the provincial governor, according to ToloNews.

The witnesses said the blast occurred inside the provincial governor's office.

The governor is one of the most senior officials to have been killed since the Taliban retook control of the country in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US forces.

Since then, the Islamic State militant group and its affiliates have claimed a series of deadly attacks in Afghanistan both on civilians and members of the Taliban.

The responsibility for the attack was claimed by Islamic State (ISIS), also known as Daesh.

This is not the first time when Daesh made the Taliban their target. In April 2022, an explosion at a mosque in an Afghan city took place in which dozens of worshippers were killed.

Other explosions were also reported in the country. One of the explosions took place in a square in Kabul, injuring two children, while a car blew up near an airport in Kunduz, killing and injuring at least 22 people.

Notably, three separate blasts took place in Afghanistan on Thursday, one in Kabul, one in Mazar-e-Sharif, and a third in Kunduz province. (ANI)