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11 People Killed and Injured in Armed Attack in Northern Afghanistan

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – At least five people were killed and six others injured in an armed attack by unidentified individuals in Faryab, northern Afghanistan, on Thursday, October 17, local sources reported.

The incident occurred on the Badghis-Faryab highway in Qaisar district when armed individuals attacked a vehicle, killing and injuring passengers, including two Taliban members.

According to the sources, the victims were all residents of Badghis province.

No individual or group has taken responsibility for the incident as of now.

The Taliban authorities have not commented yet.

This marks the latest security incident in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban’s takeover, despite claims of maintaining security, the country has experienced an increase in such incidents, adding to the growing challenges faced by its citizens.

Most of the previous incidents of this kind have been claimed by the regional affiliates of the Islamic State, ISIS-K, which have increasingly targeted and killed mostly Hazara Shias and Taliban members in recent years.

In his quarterly report released last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted a 53% increase in security-related incidents over the past three months, with 2,127 incidents recorded.

The UN chief noted that ISIS-K, despite the Taliban’s claims of dismantling the group, carried out at least four deadly attacks during the reporting period, targeting Hazaras, Taliban members, and foreign nationals.