©<em>An Afghan soldier points his weapon at an Islamic State group banner while on patrol in the Kot district of eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, July 26, 2016. (NOORULLAH SHIRZADA / AFP)<em>
A gunman stormed a mosque in western Afghanistan and killed six people, a government spokesman said Tuesday.
Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said that on Monday around 9:00 pm (1630 GMT) "an unknown armed person shot at civilian worshippers in a mosque" in Herat province's Guzara district.
The state-run Bakhtar News Agency gave the same death toll for the attack, which took place in a district just south of the provincial capital of Herat city.
Citing local sources, domestic media channel Tolo reported the mosque belonged to Afghanistan's minority Shiite community.
While no group has yet claimed the attack, the regional chapter of Daesh is the largest security threat in Afghanistan and has frequently targeted Shiite communities.
The Taliban government has pledged to protect religious and ethnic minorities since returning to power in August 2021, but rights monitors say they've done little to make good on that promise.
The most notorious attack linked to Daesh since the Taliban takeover was in 2022, when at least 53 people -- including 46 girls and young women -- where slain in the suicide bombing of an education centre.
Taliban officials blamed Daesh for the attack, which was staged in a Shiite neighbourhood of Kabul.
Kabul's new rulers claim to have ousted Daesh from Afghanistan and are highly sensitive to suggestions the group has found safe haven in the country since the withdrawal of foreign forces.
Taliban authorities have frequently given death tolls lower than other sources after bombings and gun attacks, in an apparent attempt to downplay security threats.
The Daesh chapter spanning Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia claimed responsibility for the March attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow, killing more than 140 people.
With AFP
Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said that on Monday around 9:00 pm (1630 GMT) "an unknown armed person shot at civilian worshippers in a mosque" in Herat province's Guzara district.
The state-run Bakhtar News Agency gave the same death toll for the attack, which took place in a district just south of the provincial capital of Herat city.
Citing local sources, domestic media channel Tolo reported the mosque belonged to Afghanistan's minority Shiite community.
While no group has yet claimed the attack, the regional chapter of Daesh is the largest security threat in Afghanistan and has frequently targeted Shiite communities.
The Taliban government has pledged to protect religious and ethnic minorities since returning to power in August 2021, but rights monitors say they've done little to make good on that promise.
The most notorious attack linked to Daesh since the Taliban takeover was in 2022, when at least 53 people -- including 46 girls and young women -- where slain in the suicide bombing of an education centre.
Taliban officials blamed Daesh for the attack, which was staged in a Shiite neighbourhood of Kabul.
Kabul's new rulers claim to have ousted Daesh from Afghanistan and are highly sensitive to suggestions the group has found safe haven in the country since the withdrawal of foreign forces.
Taliban authorities have frequently given death tolls lower than other sources after bombings and gun attacks, in an apparent attempt to downplay security threats.
The Daesh chapter spanning Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia claimed responsibility for the March attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue in Moscow, killing more than 140 people.
With AFP
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