Gunmen Kill 12 Civilians at Shrine in Western Afghanistan
An attack at a popular recreational area in western Afghanistan has left several civilians dead after unidentified gunmen opened fire on Friday afternoon, BBC reports.
Reports regarding the exact number of casualties in Herat province’s Enjil district currently remain conflicting. While a spokesperson for the Taliban interior ministry stated that seven individuals lost their lives, a provincial official recorded four fatalities. However a medical professional working at a regional hospital told the BBC that the death toll was significantly higher with 12 killed and another 12 injured.
At present no militant organisation has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the massacre.
The assault unfolded near the village of Deh Mehri at around 15:00 local time. According to officials armed assailants riding motorcycles targeted a crowd gathered near a local religious shrine. The site is located in a predominantly Shiite area and draws large numbers of visitors every Friday for prayers and picnics. The hospital doctor confirmed that the victims belonged to the Hazara Shia Muslim community.
Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the Taliban government’s provincial head of information and culture in Herat, confirmed that victims had been transported to the main regional hospital. He noted that the wounded individuals included two women. Muttaqi also revealed that security forces have already apprehended one suspect in connection with the deadly shooting.
Meanwhile interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani shared on X that preliminary investigations pointed to seven dead and 13 wounded with several victims fighting for their lives in critical condition.
Shia Muslims, particularly those from the ethnic Hazara minority, are a minority group in Afghanistan and have frequently faced brutal targeted attacks across the country over the years.
