At least four family members of a Taliban commander was killed in an explosion in western Farah province of Afghanistan, local officials were quoted by local media saying.

The incident took place inside the local Taliban commander’s house, leaving his mother, wife and two children dead, said Khaama Press.

The circumstances surrounding the incident have not been ascertained so far but it is believed that the incident took place during the composition of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

Farah is among the relatively volatile provinces in western Afghanistan where anti-government armed militant groups are actively operating in a number of its districts and often carry out insurgency activities.

Taliban militants frequently use Improvised Explosive Device (IED) as the weapon of their choice to target the secrurity forces however the civilians are mostly targeted in such attacks.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a report earlier this year highlighted that ‘Anti-Government Elements’ remain responsible for 72 per cent of all civilian casualties.

In another report earlier in April this year, UNAMA said at least 521 civilian casualties were recorded from January 1 to March, mainly due to ground engagements between Pro-Government Forces and Anti-Government Elements.

The report also added that Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are identified to be the second major cause of the civilian casualties in the report.
Source: MENA