Faizabad mayor killed in bomb blast, National Resistance Front claims responsibility

Hospital and municipality sources confirmed the death, with a nurse at the Badakhshan provincial hospital and a city municipality employee providing details. The National Resistance Front, an armed opposition group, claimed responsibility for the blast on X, stating they targeted the mayor's vehicle. This incident follows the shooting death of Zabihullah Amiri, head of the information and culture department in Badakhshan, less than three weeks prior, an attack claimed by Islamic State-Khorasan.

Despite a United Nations report in May indicating that armed opposition groups posed no significant challenge to the Taliban government, sporadic attacks have occurred since 2021. Badakhshan province has become a significant mining hub under the Taliban authorities.