KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – An explosion in Faizabad, the capital of northeastern Badakhshan province, injured two civilians on Wednesday, according to the Taliban authorities, while the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had targeted a vehicle carrying Taliban members.
Ehsan Kamgar, spokesperson for the Taliban police command in Badakhshan, said the explosion occurred in the Hangar area of New City in Faizabad. He said explosives had been concealed inside a flowerpot and detonated near a Toyota Corolla.
According to Kamgar, the two occupants of the vehicle were civilians and sustained minor injuries. He said four people suspected of involvement in the explosion had been arrested.
The Taliban authorities did not immediately provide further details about the identity of those arrested or the possible motive behind the attack.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front, however, claimed responsibility for the explosion. In a statement, the anti-Taliban armed group said its fighters had targeted a Taliban Toyota Hilux vehicle at around 8:30 a.m. in the Shahr-e Naw area of Faizabad.
The AFF claimed that four Taliban members, including a commander, were killed in the attack. The group’s account conflicts with the Taliban authorities’ statement that a civilian Toyota Corolla was targeted and that two civilians were injured. The AFF’s casualty claim could not be independently verified.
The AFF also accused Taliban forces of detaining and mistreating civilians following the attack. It alleged that Taliban personnel, acting in fear and panic, arrested civilians and used violence and intimidation against residents in the area. These allegations could not be independently verified.
The explosion is the latest in a series of security incidents reported in Faizabad in recent days. On October 4, an explosion in the city’s sixth district targeted Taliban intelligence personnel. The National Resistance Front (NRF) later claimed responsibility, saying it had killed the Taliban’s deputy intelligence chief for Faizabad along with two guards. The Taliban confirmed that an intelligence employee was killed in the incident, although its account differed from the NRF’s identification of the target.
Local reports have also described other attacks and clashes involving Taliban forces in Badakhshan in recent weeks. The renewed violence has included attacks claimed by both the AFF and NRF, two of the main armed anti-Taliban groups operating in parts of northern and northeastern Afghanistan.
Badakhshan has increasingly become a focal point for anti-Taliban armed activity since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. The province’s mountainous geography and its borders with Tajikistan, China and Pakistan have also given it strategic importance. Recent attacks in Faizabad have highlighted continuing security challenges despite repeated Taliban claims that the group has established nationwide security.
The latest explosion also comes amid increased pressure on residents in areas where anti-Taliban groups operate or claim attacks. Local reports following Wednesday’s blast said Taliban forces detained more than 40 people, although the Taliban police command said only four suspects had been arrested. The discrepancy could not be independently verified.
