A high-ranking Taliban commander, Mullah Muhammad Hassan, was killed by unknown gunmen in Afghanistan’s western Ghor province on Tuesday. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for the assassination.
Hassan, a prominent figure in the Taliban’s regional hierarchy, was ambushed while traveling through the province. Details of the attack remain scarce, but local sources report a swift, targeted operation that left the commander dead and his entourage in disarray.
The ISKP, the Afghan arm of ISIS, quickly took credit for the hit. This bold claim underscores the group’s ongoing challenge to Taliban authority, even as the latter tries to consolidate power nationwide.
Notably, ISKP has been actively involved in orchestrating attacks in Afghanistan. Earlier, ISKP launched an attack on May 20, targeting a bus carrying Taliban members in Kandahar city killing at least four individuals.
It has consistently targeted Afghanistan and has accused the Taliban regime of being apostate, further fueling the violent conflict between the groups.