Afghanistan Times
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Kabul: Three police personnel lost their lives, and five others sustained injuries following an explosion in Faizabad city, the provincial capital of Badakhshan province in northern Afghanistan. The spokesperson for the Taliban’s interior minister, Abdul Mateen Qani, confirmed the incident on Wednesday (May 8).
Qani stated that a convoy of counter-narcotics police was targeted by a sticky bomb placed on a motorcycle. The tragic event occurred around 11:00 am local time. Preliminary reports indicate three police officers were killed, and five were wounded in the attack. The police are currently investigating the blast.
According to Qani, the targeted police convoy was transporting poppy, a key ingredient in opium production, with the intention to destroy it before the attack occurred.
Earlier reports from local media suggested that six individuals were killed, and eight others were injured when an explosives-laden motorcycle detonated as a military convoy passed through Faizabad city.
The explosion comes after the Taliban claimed to have suppressed rare protests against security forces’ efforts to eradicate poppy cultivation in the province. Poppy cultivation serves as a vital income source for many impoverished farmers in Afghanistan. Unrest erupted last week after Taliban anti-narcotics forces initiated the destruction of poppy fields in Badakhshan province, sparking unprecedented violent protests.
