A blast in Faizabad, the capital of Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, killed four people, including a Taliban commander, on Wednesday morning, October 7, with the Afghan Liberation Front (FLF) claiming responsibility for a targeted operation against a vehicle carrying Taliban members.
In a statement, the front said its fighters had targeted a Toyota Hilux carrying Taliban members. It added that the commander had been on its wanted list for some time but did not disclose his identity.
The Taliban authorities offered a different account of the incident, saying explosives planted inside a pot had targeted a Toyota Corolla near a major intersection close to the Taliban police headquarters in Faizabad. The Taliban police spokesperson’s office in Badakhshan said two civilians had sustained minor injuries.
The conflicting accounts could not be independently verified.
The blast was followed by a security crackdown, with local sources reporting that Taliban forces detained more than 40 people in connection with the incident. Taliban police reportedly identified and arrested four suspects, although it was unclear whether these were separate from the wider reported detentions.
The Afghan Liberation Front accused Taliban forces of responding to the explosion by arresting and harassing civilians, saying they had resorted to intimidation and violence against ordinary people to create an atmosphere of fear.
Local sources said the explosion occurred in an area where laborers gather in the morning. Taliban forces reportedly fired into the air to disperse the crowd and prevent people from approaching the scene.
The incident comes amid a series of explosions in Faizabad in recent days, raising fresh security concerns in Badakhshan, a northeastern province where Taliban personnel have previously been targeted.
Earlier, an explosion was reported in the Vakilabad area of Faizabad’s Martyrs’ Plain. Footage of the incident showed a column of smoke rising from the site, while a local source said a Taliban Ranger vehicle had been targeted. The circumstances and casualties of that incident remained unclear.
Faizabad has witnessed a series of explosions in recent months. On October 3, a motorcycle bomb targeted Taliban intelligence personnel in the city’s sixth district, while a blast in August killed the Taliban-appointed mayor of Faizabad. The latest incident adds to the security concerns facing Taliban authorities in Badakhshan, particularly as opposition groups continue to claim attacks against Taliban personnel and vehicles.
