Taliban Official Assassinated in Afghanistan: Senior Figure Killed on Way to Work

In the northeastern province of Badakhshan, Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, the Director of Information and Culture, Zabihullah Amiri, was killed in an armed attack while on his way to work. A firefight broke out between Amiri's guards and the attackers, resulting in one assailant being neutralized, and an operation was launched to capture the second attacker. The Afghan Ministry of Interior announced that no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, and the investigation is ongoing. The incident in Badakhshan province occurred after a series of security incidents in recent weeks. In early July, an armed attack was also carried out on a district administration center. The Taliban regime had described the perpetrators of that attack as "malicious and irresponsible individuals". Officials have not made an official assessment on whether there is a direct connection between the latest attack and the one in early July.