The governor of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan's Balkh province, Mawlawi Mohammad Dawood Muzamil, was killed in a blast along with two others at his office on Thursday, reported news agency Reuters. Muzamil is the most senior official to be killed since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
A number of others are reported to have been injured. Some local reports claimed it to be a suicide attack, BBC reported.
Just a day before his death, Muzamil met two deputy prime ministers and other senior officials from Kabul visiting Balkh to review a major irrigation project in northern Afghanistan, reported Al Arabiya.
Mohammed Asif Waziri, Balkh's police spokesperson, while talking to the media said, "Today around 9 am a blast took place inside the second floor of the governor's office, due to the blast (governor) Mawlawi Mohammad Dawood Muzamil has been killed with two civilians."
The cause of the blast is still not known. Before being transferred to Balkh last year, Muzamil served as the governor of the eastern province of Nangarhar, where he led the fight against Islamic State jihadists.
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In recent months, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a number of explosions in Afghanistan, some of which targeted Taliban security forces and others civilian facilities.
Waziri said that the investigation into the matter was underway and they would release further updates as the probe proceeds.
At least ten people were killed in a suicide bombing outside the Foreign Ministry in Kabul in January. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by ISIS.
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The explosion comes a day after provincial Taliban authorities claimed they had killed eight "rebels and kidnappers" in Mazar-e Sharif. They did not, however, specify which "rebel" group these individuals were allegedly affiliated to, BBC reported.