The death toll from a shooting in western Afghanistan rose to 11 on Saturday, after gunmen targeted civilians at a picnic spot in Herat, the provincial authority said.
Bullet marks were visible on a wall of the Sayed Mohammad Agha Shia shrine, while bloodstains marked a blanket abandoned at the scene.
“Eleven people have been recorded dead and eight others wounded from Friday’s incident, with the condition of two of the wounded reported as critical,” Herat’s information office said in a statement.
Photo: AFP
The update raises a toll of seven killed provided on Friday by the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs
The attack southwest of Herat was carried out by “unidentified armed men riding motorcycles,” ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
People from different parts of Herat usually gather beside the shrine to picnic among the trees.
Mohammad Mohsen Rezayi, a resident who had four relatives killed in the shooting, said he had declined the offer to join them.
“They called us and said: ‘Help us! We’ve all been shot,’” the 67-year-old said.
Rezayi rushed to the scene, but said he was stopped by security forces about 500m away.
One suspect has been arrested, local authorities said.
There have been sporadic attacks since the Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021, including a deadly explosion at a Chinese restaurant in the capital Kabul in January.
Taliban officials have vowed to restore security to the country after decades of conflict.
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