Explosion in Northern Afghanistan Leaves at Least 11 Dead

According to Taliban officials, an explosion inside a mosque in northern Afghanistan on Thursday resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people. The explosion occurred during the funeral of a Taliban deputy governor who was killed in an attack earlier in the week. Reuters reported that the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Interior stated that over 30 people were also injured in this explosion in Badakhshan, a province in the north of the country that borders China and Tajikistan. Najibullah Badakhshi, a police commander in Baghlan province, expressed condolences in a statement, announcing that Safiullah Samim, the former police chief of Baghlan province, was among the deceased. A resident of Faizabad told Reuters that they were in a nearby courthouse when they heard the explosion around 11 AM local time, followed shortly by the sound of ambulances rushing to the scene. Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the car bomb explosion on Tuesday that resulted in the death of the deputy governor of Badakhshan province. The Taliban government has conducted attacks against members of the Islamic State in Afghanistan and has claimed responsibility for several major attacks in urban centers. The Islamic State group has targeted Taliban government officials and claimed responsibility for the killing of the governor of northern Balkh province in a March attack.