The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for this week's deadly shooting attack on members of the country's Shiite minority at a mosque in western Afghanistan, which killed six people, UNN reports citing AP.
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In a statement, the militant group said that one of its members had attacked a "Shiite temple" in Herat province using machine gun fire. One person was also wounded in the attack, which took place on Monday evening in the Guzar district.
The attacker fled the scene. The Taliban Ministry of Interior said the investigation was ongoing.
Local media reported that the imam of the mosque was among those killed. Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack, saying on the social network X that he considered "this terrorist act to be contrary to all religious and human standards.
The UN mission in Afghanistan also condemned the attack, saying that a child was among the victims. It called on to urgently bring the perpetrators to justice and take measures to protect Shiite communities.
The IS branch in Afghanistan is the main rival of the Taliban and often attacks schools, hospitals, mosques and Shiite areas across the country, the newspaper points out.
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"The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, in the final weeks of the chaotic withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the country after 20 years of war.
Despite initial promises of a more moderate stance, the Taliban, the publication points out, "have gradually resumed a strict interpretation of Islamic law, or sharia, as they did during their previous rule in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.