Taliban governor of Afghanistan’s Balkh province killed in blast

Kabul, The Gulf Observer: A bomb killed a Taliban-appointed provincial governor and two others in Afghanistan’s Mazar-e- Sharif Thursday, a Taliban police spokesman said.

The explosion killed Daud Muzmal and two others inside the governor’s office in Mazar-e Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, according to Mohammad Asif Waziri, the Taliban appointed spokesman for local police chief.

Zabihullah Mujahid, main spokesman for the Taliban’s government, said an investigation has begun but did not provide additional details.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the regional affiliate of the Islamic State group — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province — is a key rival of the Taliban. The militant group has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021. Targets have included Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistan’s Shiite minority.