World ( The cow news digital )
The Mayor of Faizabad, the capital of Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province, was killed in a targeted bomb blast near his office, according to local officials and international news agencies.
Habib-ur-Rahman Mansoor lost his life when an explosive device planted close to the municipal headquarters directly targeted his vehicle. While official statements emerged slowly, a municipal employee speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed the severity of the explosion and the immediate casualties at the scene. The Afghanistan National Resistance Front (NRF) later claimed responsibility for the deadly operation, stating that members of the mayor’s security detail were also eliminated during the targeted assault.
This security incident follows another high-profile assassination in the exact same region just two weeks prior, when Zabihullah Amiri, the head of Badakhshan’s Department of Information and Culture, was shot and killed. While that earlier attack was claimed by the regional branch of the Islamic State, known as ISIS-Khorasan, the latest bombing underscores the shifting and volatile security dynamics within northern Afghanistan. The recurring violence and targeted attacks against local officials continue to highlight the severe security challenges and governance struggles persisting across various provinces under the current administration.
Local security forces have cordoned off the area surrounding the blast site to conduct a thorough investigation, while municipal authorities mourn the loss of the city’s leadership. Observers note that such targeted assassinations pose a major threat to administrative stability in regional hubs like Badakhshan, where insurgent groups and opposition fronts frequently contest local authority. The international community and monitoring groups continue to express deep concern over the deteriorating human rights and security conditions across the country, as targeted killings of civil servants and local leaders remain a persistent threat to daily life and civil administration in provincial capitals.
