Mawlawi Mohammad Dawood Muzamil, the governor of Balkh province, was killed in an explosion on Thursday, Zabiullah Mujaheed, IEA’s spokesman confirmed.

An explosion occurred in the governor’s office compound in northern Balkh province, killing him and two others, police said.

“Today around 9am a blast took place on the second floor of the governor’s office; due to the blast (governor) Mawlawi Mohammad Dawood Muzamil has been killed along with two civilians,” said Mohammed Asif Waziri, Balkh’s police spokesman.

He said police were investigating and would provide more details once they became clear.

Meanwhile, IEA’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujaheed said one civilian was also killed in the blast.

“With great regret, it was reported that the governor of Balkh, Mullah Mohammad Dawood Muzamil, was martyred by the enemies of Islam in an explosion with another civilian,” Mujaheed tweeted.

The cause of the blast was not immediately known. The incident marks one of the most senior officials confirmed dead since the IEA took over the country in 2021.

So far no group including Daesh claimed responsibility for the blast.

Security officials in Balkh province say that seven members of a family were shot dead under mysterious circumstances in Chamtal district of Balkh province.

Mohammad Asaf Waziri, Balkh police spokesman, says the incident took place on Friday night.

According to Waziri, children and women were among the victims.

Waziri says an investigation is being carried out and that the perpetrators are being sought.

At least eight people were killed when a bus, carrying employees of an oil company, was bombed in northern Balkh province, police said on Tuesday.

“Today around 7 a.m. a road side mine blast took place in District 3 of Mazar-e-Sharif city on a bus, which belonged to Hairatan Oil employees,” said Mohammad Asif Wazeri, police spokesman for northern Balkh province, adding that at least nine people were also wounded in the explosion.

But the public health of Balkh province is talking about the increase of victims.

Najibullah Tawana, head of Balkh public health, says that eight people were killed and nine wounded have been taken to hospital after today’s explosion. One person is critical, he said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast.

This comes after at least six people were wounded in an explosion on Saturday in Nangarhar’s Jalalabad city that also caused serious damage to shops and businesses in the area.

One of the shops damaged in this explosion was that of Gul Charan – the city’s only Sikh resident.

According to local officials, the incident is being investigated. 

The security officials of Jalalabad meanwhile say the explosion was caused by an IED embedded in a flowerpot.

The residents of the city have called on the Islamic Emirate to prevent such events in the future.

So far, no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the explosion.