The interior ministry reported that a sticky bomb detonated close to a security vehicle in northeastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing three officers and wounding five others. The convoy was tasked with eradicating illegal poppy gardens.
The capital of the mountainous Badakhshan province, Faizabad, was the target of an IED-equipped motorbike convoy that was set to detonate at approximately 11 a.m. local time.
The explosion went off while the police convoy was en route to destroy the poppy crop, according to a post made on X by Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesperson for the Taliban Interior Ministry.
Days before, two people were killed and uncommon demonstrations were sparked by a harsh poppy crop clearing in two areas of Badakhshan, which led to clashes between villagers and Taliban security personnel.
Prior to the Taliban supreme leader’s April 2022 proclamation outlawing poppy planting, Afghanistan was the world’s top producer of opium.
Although farmers are urged to produce a variety of crops, none can match the poppy’s financial appeal, so some choose to keep cultivating their little plots covertly.
The incident was not immediately attributed to anyone.
A journalist with AFP witnessed Taliban agents sifting through houses and holding hundreds of individuals close to the incident.
Pictures of a police van with holes in it and a burned motorcycle were shared on social media, however AFP was not able to confirm them right away.
Witness Aminullah, who wished to remain anonymous, reported hearing a loud explosion and observing that a convoy of Taliban officials had been struck. He told AFP that “the security forces cleared the area of people immediately.”
Since the Taliban stopped their war and retook power in August 2021 after overthrowing the government supported by the United States, there have been fewer bombs and suicide assaults in Afghanistan.
But a number of armed organizations, including as the extremist Islamic State, continue to pose a threat, and there are frequent allegations of explosives that the government fails to verify.
