Gunmen carried out a brutal attack in a Shiite-majority area in central Afghanistan, resulting in the death of 14 people, with six others being injured in the assault, the Taliban confirmed on Friday. The incident occurred between the provinces of Ghor and Daikundi, targeting Hazara Shiite individuals. The Islamic State group initially claimed responsibility for the attack before the Taliban acknowledged their involvement in the shootings. The IS group reported a higher death toll than the Taliban, stating that a machine gun was used in the assault.
Iran’s news agency IRNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, condemning the attack that targeted individuals welcoming Afghan Shiites returning from Iraq shrines. Kanaani urged for swift action to punish those responsible for the crime. The IS group’s local affiliate has been challenging the government’s security control by carrying out attacks on schools, hospitals, mosques, and Shiite communities over the past few years.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, strongly denounced Thursday’s attack as a “barbaric action” and reiterated the authorities’ commitment to protecting the people and their property. Mujahid stated that efforts were underway to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack, expressing condolences to the families of the victims and calling for an investigation to hold the culprits accountable.
Recent incidents involving IS attacks in Afghanistan, such as a suicide bombing at a prosecutor’s office in Kabul and an explosion in Badakhshan province targeting police officers engaged in an anti-poppy cultivation campaign, have raised concerns. Richard Bennett, a U.N.-appointed Afghan rights expert, highlighted his alarm at the series of IS-claimed attacks, particularly emphasizing the “appalling killings” of Shiite Hazara, which he regarded as bearing the characteristics of international crimes. Bennett, whom the Taliban have restricted from entering Afghanistan, expressed his grave concerns over the escalating violence in the region.
