Deputy Governor of Afghan Province Killed in Car Bombing

In this photo taken on June 4, 2023, an Afghan boy stands atop his house in Kandali village in Sholgara district of Balkh province. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
In this photo taken on June 4, 2023, an Afghan boy stands atop his house in Kandali village in Sholgara district of Balkh province. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
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Deputy Governor of Afghan Province Killed in Car Bombing

In this photo taken on June 4, 2023, an Afghan boy stands atop his house in Kandali village in Sholgara district of Balkh province. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
In this photo taken on June 4, 2023, an Afghan boy stands atop his house in Kandali village in Sholgara district of Balkh province. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)

The deputy governor of Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan province was killed by a car bomb on Tuesday, the provincial spokesperson said.

"Nissar Ahmad Ahmadi, with his driver, has been killed and six civilians were injured," said Mahzudeen Ahmadi, the head of the information office of Badakshan, a province in the far north of the country that shares a border with China and Tajikistan.

It was not clear who was behind the bombing, which was the first known major blast or attack on a Taliban official in Afghanistan in several weeks, Reuters reported.

The Taliban administration has been carrying out raids against members of ISIS, which had claimed several major attacks in urban centers.

ISIS has also targeted Taliban administration officials, including claiming the killing of the governor of northern Balkh province in an attack on his office in March.



EU Will Review Trade Deal with Israel, Kallas Says

Israeli army tanks are deployed at Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing war with Hamas, May 20, 2025. (dpa)
Israeli army tanks are deployed at Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing war with Hamas, May 20, 2025. (dpa)
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EU Will Review Trade Deal with Israel, Kallas Says

Israeli army tanks are deployed at Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing war with Hamas, May 20, 2025. (dpa)
Israeli army tanks are deployed at Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing war with Hamas, May 20, 2025. (dpa)

The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on Tuesday that there would be a review of the EU's trade agreement with Israel amid the "catastrophic" situation in Gaza.

International pressure on Israel has mounted in recent days as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has launched a renewed military offensive in Gaza.

Kallas said a "strong majority" of EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels favored such a review of the bloc's association agreement with Israel in the light of events in Gaza.

"The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The aid that Israel has allowed in is of course welcomed, but it's a drop in the ocean. Aid must flow immediately, without obstruction and at scale, because this is what is needed," Kallas told reporters.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking in parliament, welcomed the EU decision and said 17 out of the 27 member states had backed the move.

EU sanctions on violent Israeli settlers have been prepared but have so far been blocked by one member state, Kallas said, without naming the country.