KABUL: During an award ceremony for journalists on Saturday in the Afghan city of Mazar-e- Sharif, a bomb went off, killing at least one and wounding five others, according to a spokesman for the Taliban police.
According to Mohammad Asif Waziri, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for Balkh police, the explosion happened at the Tabian Farhang center in Mazar-e Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, as journalists were gathering for the award event at 11 a.m.
The provincial governor, Daud Muzmal, and two others had been killed in a bombing in Mazar-e-Sharif two days prior. There were four injuries.
It took some time to determine who was killed in the explosion on Saturday, but at least five people were hurt, including journalists. Najeeb Faryad, a television reporter for Aryana News, claimed he was struck in the back, then heard a deafening noise, and finally collapsed to the ground.
Although the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, the local offshoot of Daesh, has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack, it is a major Taliban adversary.
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the militant group’s attacks there have only increased. Shiite minorities and Taliban patrols have both been attacked recently in Afghanistan.
When the explosion occurred, the reason for it was unclear.
The explosion that killed Mawlawi Mohammad Dawood Muzamil and two others on Thursday at his office was already being investigated by Taliban authorities.
