Multiple people have been killed after gunmen targeted civilians at a picnic spot in western Afghanistan, officials and a local doctor have said.
There have been different reported death tolls from the attack in the Enjil district of Herat province on Friday. A Taliban interior ministry spokesperson said seven people were killed, with a provincial official reporting four had died.
No group has claimed responsibility so far.
Unidentified armed men riding motorcycles opened fire near the village of Deh Mehri, an interior ministry spokesperson said. The recreational area is usually crowded on Fridays.
A doctor from a hospital in Herat province told the BBC that the victims were Hazara Shia Muslims.
The doctor indicated that the victims had gone to a local shrine for a picnic, providing a higher casualty figure than officials, saying 12 people had been killed and 12 injured.
Shia Muslims, primarily from the Hazara ethnic group, are a minority in Afghanistan and have been targeted in the past.
Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the provincial head of information and culture for the Taliban government in Herat, stated the incident occurred at about 15:00 local time (11:30 BST).
In a terrorist incident, armed men opened fire on residents who had gone to Deh Mehri village in Enjil district for recreation, he told the BBC.
Muttaqi detailed that four bodies and 15 wounded individuals, including two women, had been taken to the Herat regional hospital. A suspect had been arrested by security forces.
In a post on X, interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said early reports indicated seven people were killed and 13 others wounded, with some in critical condition.
The village where the attack took place is predominantly Shiite and has a Muslim shrine that attracts many daily visitors for prayer and reflection.
There have been different reported death tolls from the attack in the Enjil district of Herat province on Friday. A Taliban interior ministry spokesperson said seven people were killed, with a provincial official reporting four had died.
No group has claimed responsibility so far.
Unidentified armed men riding motorcycles opened fire near the village of Deh Mehri, an interior ministry spokesperson said. The recreational area is usually crowded on Fridays.
A doctor from a hospital in Herat province told the BBC that the victims were Hazara Shia Muslims.
The doctor indicated that the victims had gone to a local shrine for a picnic, providing a higher casualty figure than officials, saying 12 people had been killed and 12 injured.
Shia Muslims, primarily from the Hazara ethnic group, are a minority in Afghanistan and have been targeted in the past.
Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the provincial head of information and culture for the Taliban government in Herat, stated the incident occurred at about 15:00 local time (11:30 BST).
In a terrorist incident, armed men opened fire on residents who had gone to Deh Mehri village in Enjil district for recreation, he told the BBC.
Muttaqi detailed that four bodies and 15 wounded individuals, including two women, had been taken to the Herat regional hospital. A suspect had been arrested by security forces.
In a post on X, interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said early reports indicated seven people were killed and 13 others wounded, with some in critical condition.
The village where the attack took place is predominantly Shiite and has a Muslim shrine that attracts many daily visitors for prayer and reflection.
