Taliban Mayor Killed in Blast in Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province

The Taliban-appointed mayor of Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province was killed in an explosion on Thursday evening, marking the second targeted killing of a senior administration official in the region within two weeks.

Habib Ur Rahman Mansoor died when a blast struck his vehicle in the provincial capital, Faizabad, according to the Interior Ministry. The ministry did not provide further details about the attack. A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the killing on Friday.

The incident comes as the Taliban prepares to mark the fifth anniversary of its return to power on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces.

Two weeks ago, gunmen shot and killed Zabihullah Amiri, Badakhshan's director of information and culture, as he traveled from a district to Faizabad. His security guards returned fire, killing one attacker and capturing the other.

No motive has been established for either attack. While targeted killings of senior Taliban figures have been uncommon, they are not unprecedented.

In December 2024, refugee minister Khalil Haqqani was killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul. In June 2023, a car bomb in Faizabad killed the province's deputy governor, Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi; the Islamic State in Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for that attack and a subsequent bombing at his memorial service. In March 2023, the governor of Balkh province was killed in a bomb attack on his office.