ISLAMABAD – A gunman stormed a mosque in western Afghanistan, opening fire and killing six people as they prayed, a Taliban official said on Tuesday.
Local media reports and a former president of Afghanistan said the mosque was targeted because it was a place of worship for the country’s Shiite Muslim minority.
The attack took place on Monday night in the Guzara district of Herat province, said Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Taliban Interior Ministry. He said in a post on social media platform X that an investigation was underway.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which also injured another worshiper as the attacker fled. Local media reported that the mosque’s imam was among the dead.
“I strongly condemn the attack on the Imam Zaman Mosque,” said former Afghan President Hamid Karzai on X. “I consider this terrorist act against all religious and human standards.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan also condemned the attack, which it said killed and injured at least seven people, including a child. He called for urgent accountability for perpetrators and protective measures for Shitte communities.
The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan branch is a major rival to the Taliban and frequently targets schools, hospitals, mosques and Shiite areas across the country.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, during the final weeks of the chaotic exit of US and NATO troops from the country, after 20 years of war.
Despite initial promises of a more moderate stance, the Taliban have gradually reimposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, or Shariah, as they did during their previous rule in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
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