Double occurred close to Nabawi Mosque in northern Afghanistan, claiming the lives of at least 11 people who have been attending a memorial service for the just lately deceased Taliban provincial deputy governor, Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi. Over 30 individuals were wounded within the blast, and officials fear the death toll might rise.
The memorial service happened on Thursday, honouring Ahmadi, who was killed in a car bombing in Faizabad on Tuesday. The attack also resulted within the dying of Ahmadi’s driver and left 10 others injured. Among the victims of Thursday’s explosion was Safiullah Samim, a former Taliban police chief in Baghlan.
Abdul Nafi Takor, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the interior ministry, confirmed the incident however did not provide additional particulars. No group has claimed duty for the attack up to now. However, the ISIL (ISIS) armed group took duty for the car bombing that killed Ahmadi.
The Taliban administration has been actively conducting raids towards ISIL members, who have claimed responsibility for several main assaults in urban centres. In March, the group targeted Taliban administration officials and claimed to have killed the governor of northern Balkh province.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack on the mosque, stating in a tweet that it was an act of “terrorism” and went “against human and Islamic standards.”
Ahmadi’s funeral, held on Wednesday, was attended by a number of senior Taliban officials and hundreds of Faizabad residents. Taliban military chief Fasihuddin Fitrat denounced the assaults in Badakhshan and referred to as for the public to cooperate with Taliban security forces by reporting any suspicious actions of their areas..