ISIS-K Claims Assassination of Taliban Culture Official Zabihullah Amiri in Badakhshan
The Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-K) claimed responsibility on July 30, 2026, for the assassination of Zabihullah Amiri, the Taliban’s head of information and culture for Badakhshan province. Amiri was killed alongside one guard in a machine-gun ambush while traveling toward the provincial capital, Faizabad. Taliban authorities confirmed the death and the arrest of one assailant. This high-profile killing underscores the persistent security threat posed by IS-K to Taliban administration officials in northeastern Afghanistan.