Afghanistan Peace Campaign
The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for the killing of Zabihullah Amiri, the Taliban-appointed director of information and culture in northeastern Badakhshan province.
According to Agence France-Presse, the monitoring group SITE reported that Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) said in a statement on Wednesday that its members targeted Amiri on Tuesday while he was travelling toward Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, killing him and one of his guards.
Amiri was killed on Tuesday while travelling on the road between Faizabad and Baharak, according to Afghanistan’s Information Ministry and provincial police. Two armed attackers on a motorcycle opened fire on his vehicle. Amiri’s guards returned fire, killing one attacker and capturing the other, according to authorities.
Amiri was a senior provincial official responsible for information and cultural affairs in Badakhshan, a strategically located province bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan. He had previously spoken publicly about government activities and cultural sites in the province.
The killing is significant because targeted attacks on senior Taliban officials have become relatively rare since the group seized power in 2021. The attack nonetheless highlights the continuing threat posed by ISKP, which has remained active despite Taliban operations aimed at dismantling the group.
Badakhshan has previously been the scene of high-profile attacks attributed to ISKP. In June 2023, the group claimed responsibility for a car bombing in Faizabad that killed the province’s deputy governor, Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, and his driver, as well as a later suicide bombing at a memorial service that killed at least 13 people.
The Taliban has repeatedly said it has improved security across Afghanistan and weakened militant groups. ISKP, however, continues to pose a security challenge through targeted attacks and bombings, particularly against Taliban officials and other high-profile figures.
The killing of Amiri could put additional pressure on Taliban authorities to demonstrate that they can protect senior officials and maintain security in remote provinces. It also underscores the continuing rivalry between the Taliban and ISKP, which oppose each other ideologically and have repeatedly fought for influence in Afghanistan.
For now, authorities have not provided details on the identity or motive of the surviving attacker, and the circumstances surrounding the attack remain under investigation.