Blast tears through mosque in Afghanistan at funeral of deputy governor

ISIS earlier claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi

A member of the Afghan Taliban near the site of a suicide attack in Faizabad district of Badakhshan province on Tuesday. AFP

An explosion rocked a mosque in northern Afghanistan on Thursday during the funeral of the provincial deputy governor who was killed in an attack this week.

Mahzudeen Ahmadi, head of the information office of northern Badakhshan province, confirmed that the explosion had caused casualties but did not clarify how many people were killed.

An investigation is ongoing and further details would be released later, he added.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing on Tuesday that killed Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the acting governor of Badakhshan.

His funeral was being broadcast live on state television at the time of the blast.

Initial reports claimed former Taliban provincial police chief Safiullah Samim was among the dead.

Footage shared by local journalists showed a large crowd of men gathered at the funeral site before the blast. It was followed by a video showing large plumes of smoke rising from outside the mosque.

The head of the province's police force was killed in a suicide blast in December last year that was also claimed by ISIS, while in April last year a bomb attack killed the head of the mining department.

ISIS has killed and wounded hundreds of people in attacks since the Taliban returned to power. The attacks, some aimed at foreigners, are an attempt to undermine the Taliban government.

Taliban-appointed governor of Afghanistan's Balkh province was killed in an explosion.

The extremist group has targeted mosques and other buildings linked to the Taliban, while the latter has also carried out attacks, particularly against Afghanistan's Hazara minority.

Updated: June 08, 2023, 4:18 PM