KABUL: A bomb blast in northern Afghanistan’s Badakshan province on Wednesday killed three Taliban security personnel and injured six others, confirmed the interior ministry spokesperson in a statement.
The blast occurred when a motorcycle carrying an explosive device blew up near a military vehicle involved in opium poppy eradication operations in northern Afghanistan.
Protests have erupted in various districts in the northern province of Badakshan where local farmers oppose the Taliban security forces’ attempts to wipe out opium cultivation – which serves as a backbone of many household incomes in volatile Afghanistan.
“The explosion took place as the police convoy was passing for the purpose of opium poppy eradication,” said Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Matin Qaniee, adding that five other people were injured. The Taliban administration has yet to ascertain who was behind the attack.
Although national and local Taliban authorities had claimed to restore calm in areas affected by protests, discussions with locals have been initiated by teams dispatched from the national and provincial capitals.
The protests, which started late last week, have left two people dead. The Taliban said they were considering providing financial compensation to the victims’ families.
Since assuming control in 2021 following the withdrawal of foreign forces, the Taliban have stated their intent to establish order and security in the nation. However, attacks persist, with both the local branch of the militant group Daesh and resistance factions claiming assaults on Taliban security forces.
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