Three gunmen who claimed to be members of the Taliban shot dead three people attending a wedding in Afghanistan — because music was being played at the reception, according to a report.
A Taliban government spokesman said two of the three attackers had been arrested after the Friday incident but denied they were acting on behalf of the Islamist movement.
“Last night, at the wedding of Haji Malang Jan in Shamspur Mar Ghundi village of Nangarhar, three people who introduced themselves as Taliban entered the proceedings and [asked] that the music stop playing,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Saturday, Agence France-Presse reported.
“As a result of firing, at least three people have been killed and several others have been injured,” he said. “Two suspects have been taken into custody by the Taliban in connection with the incident and one who escaped is still being pursued.”
According to a Taliban spokesperson, two of the three attackers had been arrested but denied that they were part of the Taliban. STRINGER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Members of the Taliban seen patrolling in Afghanistan. HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty ImagesMujahid added that “the perpetrators of the incident caught, who have used the name of the Islamic Emirate to carry out their personal feud, have been handed over to face Sharia law.”
Qazi Mullah Adel, spokesman for the Taliban governor in Nangarhar province, confirmed the incident but did not provide details.
A relative of the victims said the assailants opened fire while music was being played.
According to a relative who was present during the shooting, the gunmen opened fire because music was being played and it was against Islamic law. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSMusic was banned the last time the Taliban ruled the country between 1996 and 2001. While the new government has not yet issued such a decree, its leaders still consider its use in entertainment a breach of Islamic law.
“The young men were playing music in a separate room and three Taliban fighters came and opened fire on them. The injuries of the two wounded are serious,” the witness said.
Mujahid told reporters, “In the ranks of the Islamic Emirate, no one has the right to turn anyone away from music or anything, only to try to persuade them. That is the main way.
Three people were killed and two were seriously injured in the wedding shooting. HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images“If anyone kills someone by himself, even if they are our personnel, that is a crime and we will introduce them to the courts and they will face the law,” he added.
After returning to power in mid-August after overthrowing the US-backed government, the Taliban have tried to show a more moderate face as they seek international recognition and an end to crippling sanctions.
