At Least Four Militants Killed As Suicide Bomber Targets Taliban Faction

A suicide bombing has killed at least four militants from a splinter group of the Afghan Taliban in the southern province of Helmand, officials say.

Local police said several other militants were wounded in the June 14 blast in Gareshk district, which they attributed to internal rivalry.

Qari Yosuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed that the suicide bomber targeted an local militia command center.

But Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said a suicide bomber riding a vehicle packed with explosives targeted supporters of Mullah Rasul, a Taliban commander in Helmand.

Mullah Rasul has contested the Taliban leadership of Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada following the death of longtime Taliban leader Mullah Omar in 2015.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Khaama Press