Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, the Taliban's governor of the Balkh province in northern Afghanistan, was killed in an explosion in his office.
Prime9jaOnline gathered on Thursday, Muzammil was the highest-ranking official to be assassinated since the Taliban retook power in 2021.
Since then, there has been a marked decrease in violence, but notable pro-Taliban figures and others have been killed in a number of attacks, many of which were claimed by Islamic State.
There has been no immediate claim of responsibility, according to the local police, and the cause of the most recent explosion is unknown.
However, the governor was "martyred in an explosion by the enemies of Islam," according to a tweet from Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
He also said that an investigation would start to determine the reason behind the attack and those responsible for it.
Muzammil is reported to have led the fight against Islamic State militants in his previous posting as governor of the eastern province of Nangarhar. He was moved to Balkh last October.
Balkh police spokesperson Mohammed Asif Waziri said the explosion occurred “around 9am… inside the second floor of the governor’s office”.
Police said at least one other person also died in the attack. A number of others are reported to have been injured.
“There was a bang. I fell on the ground,” Khairuddin, who was wounded in the blast, told the Media. He said he had seen a friend lose a hand in the explosion.
The explosion occurred just after the governor arrived in his office, he said.