The explosion took place in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, during an award ceremony for journalists.

An explosion at an award ceremony for journalists in the northern Afghan province of Balkh killed at least one person and injured five others, a Taliban police spokesman said.

The explosion occurred at the Tabian Farhang center in Mazar-i-Sharif, the province’s capital, as journalists gathered for the awards ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, Mohammad Asif Waziri, the Taliban-appointed police spokesman for the Taliban, said. Balkh.

“There has been an explosion in Balkh’s second precinct,” he said. Waziri confirmed the number of casualties and added that three children were among the injured.

The incident came two days after a bomb in Mazar-i-Sharif killed the provincial governor, Daud Muzmal, and two others. Four were injured.

Journalists injured

A journalist from Balkh, Mohammad Fardin Nowrozi, told Reuters news agency that he and other journalists were injured in the explosion, but gave no further details.

The injured journalists also included Najeeb Faryad, a reporter for the Ariana News television station, who said he felt something hit him in the back followed by a deafening noise before falling to the ground, according to the Associated Press news agency. .

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the regional branch of the ISIL (ISIS) group is a major rival of the Taliban.

The group has stepped up its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021. Targets have included Taliban patrols and members of the Afghan Shiite minority.