A fatal explosion at a memorial service in northern Afghanistan has claimed the lives of at least 11 individuals, as reported by Al Jazeera. The event, held near Nabawi Mosque, commemorated Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deceased deputy governor of Badakhshan province, who was himself a victim of a car bombing earlier this week.
Among those killed in this most recent attack was a former official of the Taliban police. Over 30 people were injured, according to Abdul Nafi Takor, the Taliban’s spokesperson for the interior ministry. Takor suggested the casualty count could potentially rise further.
The car bombing incident on Tuesday, which took Ahmadi’s life, also resulted in the death of his driver and injuries to ten others. The incidents occurred in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province.
A prominent victim of the memorial service blast was Safiullah Samim, a former Afghan police chief in Baghlan, as revealed by Moazuddin Ahmadi, the Afghan official responsible for communication and culture, in a report by Al Jazeera.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly denounced the attacks, deeming the mosque bombings acts of terrorism and a violation of human and Islamic principles. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the recent attack. However, the ISIS armed group accepted responsibility for Tuesday’s car bombing.
The Taliban administration has been conducting operations against ISIS, which has executed multiple major attacks in urban areas, as per Al Jazeera. ISIS has targeted Taliban officials, including the killing of the governor of northern Balkh province earlier this year.
Ahmadi’s funeral was attended by several high-ranking Taliban officials and hundreds of Faizabad locals. Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Afghan military chief, condemned the recent attacks in Badakhshan and appealed to citizens to collaborate with Afghan security forces, reporting any suspicious activities in their areas.
