Bomb kills 1, wounds 5 at press award event in AFG

A bomb exploded during an awards ceremony for journalists in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif on Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding five others, a Taliban spokesman said.

The blast occurred at the Tabian Farhang center in Mazar-e Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, as journalists gathered for an awards ceremony at 11 a.m., said Mohammad Asif Waziri, a Taliban-appointed spokesman for Balkh police. It came two days after a bomb in Mazar-e-Sharif killed provincial governor Daud Muzmal and two others. Four were injured.

The identities of the victims of Saturday's explosion were not immediately known, but journalists were among the five injured. They included Najeeb Faryad, a reporter for Aryana News TV station, who said he felt something hit him in the back, followed by a deafening sound before he fell to the ground.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the regional branch of the Islamic State group - known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province - is a key rival of the Taliban. The terrorist group has stepped up its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021. Targets include Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistan's Shiite minority.