Afghanistan: Taliban governor of Balkh province dies in suicide attack

The Taliban governor of Balkh province in Afghanistan was killed in a suicide attack on Thursday (March 9). Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, the killed Talibani, was known for fighting against Islamic State jihadists.

The suicide attack took place a day after he met top government officials visiting from Afghan capital of Kabul. The attack's responsibility was claimed by theIslamic State group.

Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021. The violence across the country has dramatically dropped since Taliban regained power, but the security situation has again deteriorated since as IS has carried out several attacks.

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"Two people, including Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, the governor of Balkh, have been killed in an explosion this morning," local police spokesman Asif Waziri told AFP, adding that the blast happened on the second floor of his office, in the provincial capital Mazar-i-Sharif.

"It was a suicide attack. We don't have information as to how the suicide bomber reached the office of the governor," he said, adding that two people were also wounded.

The explosion happened moments after the governor arrived in his office, said Khairuddin, who was wounded in the incident and in a hospital in Mazar-i-Sharif.

"There was a bang. I fell on the ground," he told AFP, adding that he witnessed a friend lose a hand in the blast.
Authorities deployed extra security at the governorate, who forbade journalists from taking photos, an AFP correspondent reported from near the site of the blast.

(With inputs from agencies)

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