A senior Taliban official responsible for information and culture in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan Province was killed in a targeted attack on Tuesday, marking another significant security incident as armed opposition activity reportedly intensifies in the region.
According to a statement issued by the Taliban police in Badakhshan, Zabihullah Amiri, the Taliban’s head of information and culture for the province, was killed while travelling from his home to his office. Taliban authorities said the attack occurred on the Baharak–Faizabad road, where two assailants riding a motorcycle allegedly opened fire on Amiri’s vehicle.
The Taliban stated that Amiri’s bodyguards immediately responded to the attack, killing one of the assailants during the exchange of fire. Authorities further announced that the second suspected attacker was subsequently arrested by Taliban security personnel.
Ehsanullah Kamgar, spokesperson for the Taliban police in Badakhshan, confirmed that security forces had taken the second suspect into custody and that investigations into the incident were underway.
Earlier, local sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s provincial information and culture chief had been assassinated on 28 July in the Kol Dasht area, near Baharak. According to those sources, the attack occurred as Amiri was travelling from his residence in Baharak toward his office in the provincial capital, Faizabad.
Information received by Afghanistan International also indicated that the driver accompanying Amiri was wounded during the attack and received injuries in the exchange of fire. Following the incident, Taliban security forces reportedly sealed off and surrounded the area in an effort to secure the scene, search for possible accomplices, and launch an investigation.
Sources further stated that Amiri’s body was transported to the Baharak Clinic after the attack, where the incident was formally documented before further official procedures were carried out.
As of the time of reporting, no individual or armed group has publicly claimed responsibility for the assassination.
The killing comes at a time when Badakhshan Province has witnessed an increase in reported attacks targeting Taliban personnel and installations. In recent weeks, armed opposition groups, particularly the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), have claimed a series of operations against Taliban forces in the province, including attacks on security checkpoints, military positions, and district-level installations.
Although Taliban authorities maintain that security remains under control across Afghanistan, the assassination of a senior provincial official underscores the continuing security challenges facing the administration in parts of northeastern Afghanistan. Analysts note that Badakhshan has increasingly emerged as one of the focal points of armed opposition activity, where resistance groups continue to claim attacks against Taliban targets despite the movement’s assertions that organized resistance has largely been eliminated.
The assassination of Zabihullah Amiri is expected to intensify security measures across Badakhshan as Taliban authorities continue investigations into the attack while seeking to identify any individuals or networks that may have been involved. The incident also highlights the evolving security dynamics in northeastern Afghanistan, where targeted attacks and clashes between Taliban forces and armed opposition groups continue to shape the province’s security landscape.
