Majar-e-Sharif Blast: The blast on journalists in the Balkh area of Afghanistan on Saturday shocked everyone. 1 died in this attack, while 8 people were injured. The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the blast. According to the Islamic State’s Telegram account, an explosion rocked a cultural center where journalists were gathering in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan, as reported by Afghanistan’s Khama Press.
According to Mohammad Asif Waziri, a Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Balkh police, the explosion occurred around 11 a.m. at the Tebayan Farhang center in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, as journalists were gathering for an award ceremony. Reportedly 1 person died and 8 others were injured in the incident. However, the Tebayan Cultural Center reported, “3 people were killed in the incident, and 30 others were injured, including journalists”.
This was the second incident of blast in Balkh province in three days. The first was a suicide attack, according to Khama News, which killed Mullah Dawood Muzmal, the governor of Balkh. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for both incidents.
Mujmal was killed by enemies of Islam: Taliban spokesman
According to the Taliban’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, “Muzmal was killed by the enemies of Islam.” He said an investigation was underway but did not provide any details. The Taliban seized power in August 2021, as US and NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, Mujmal is one of the most senior Taliban officials to have been killed.
IS-Khorasan, the biggest opponent of the Taliban-led government, targeted Taliban leaders as well as locals and foreigners. The group’s attacks on the Afghan provinces of Balkh, Herat and Kabul have increased recently.
Extremist Islamic State of Khorasan (ISK) and other militants despite Taliban claims that the country’s fighting is over. Kabul city and other places have been brutally attacked. The attack on journalists in Mazar-i-Sharif is a blow to the right to freedom of expression, according to Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Envoy on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, according to Khama Press.
Bennett said he was closely following the attack on a place honoring journalists at the Tebayan Cultural Center in Mazar-i-Sharif. More protection measures are needed for journalists in Afghanistan, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on the issue. Ever since the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021, the militant group has stepped up its attacks here. Both Taliban patrols and Shia Afghans have been targeted in the past.
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