Taliban Official Killed in Armed Attack in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan Province

Kabul (Terror Monitor) — The head of the Information and Culture Department of Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province, Zabihullah Amiri, has been killed in an armed attack in Baharak district.

Badakhshan security command spokesperson Ehsanullah Kamkar said Amiri was targeted on Tuesday by two armed men riding a motorcycle while traveling in Baharak district. He was killed in the attack, while one of his guards was reportedly slightly injured.

A Taliban police spokesperson in Badakhshan said Amiri was attacked on the Baharak-Faizabad highway while heading to his office.

Officials said one of the attackers was killed during an exchange of fire with Amiri’s guards, while the second attacker was arrested. Authorities said the motive behind the attack remains unclear and an investigation is underway.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Taliban officials have also not provided details about the possible motives or whether the incident was linked to armed opposition groups.

Amiri was regarded as a prominent media figure under the Taliban administration and had served as the head of Badakhshan’s Information and Culture Department for several years.

Badakhshan, which borders Pakistan’s Lower Chitral district, has previously witnessed security incidents involving armed groups.

Meanwhile, the anti-Taliban armed group Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) said clashes with Taliban forces have continued in Badakhshan province for the past three days.

The group claimed that on July 26, its fighters carried out a rocket attack on a Taliban military convoy traveling from Kabul toward Badakhshan, killing seven Taliban fighters and injuring six others.