An armed assault on a Shia mosque in Herat province has killed at least five people, including a woman and a three-year-old child, according to local sources.
The attack happened around 7.00pm on Monday at the Imam Zaman Mosque in Guzara district’s Mohammadia neighborhood.
“The Maghrib prayer had just ended, and worshippers were performing the Isha prayer when armed individuals entered the mosque and began shooting,” a witness said.
The dead include county councilor Abdul Azim Jawid and the mosque’s Imam.
At least three people were injured in the attack, including two women.
They were taken to the local hospital, where at least one remains in critical condition.
Witnesses say three unidentified armed men entered the mosque during prayer and opened fire on worshippers.
The men had arrived on two motorcycles and fled the scene after the shooting.
Head of Herat provincial hospital Barat Moein confirmed the death toll and number of casualties.
One witness said he saw as many as 12 people killed or wounded, but this could not be confirmed by official sources.
The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported six fatalities and one injury in the attack.
International organizations and Afghans have condemned the attack as targeting Hazara and Shia communities.
“UNAMA condemns last night’s attack on a Shi’a mosque in Herat which killed and wounded at least 7, including a child,” UNAMA posted on X.
“Investigations and accountability for perpetrators and protection measures for Afghanistan’s Shi’a communities are urgently needed.”
Former MP Fawzia Koofi slammed the Taliban de facto authorities in Afghanistan for the attack.
“Targeting the Hazaras, especially during prayer, in cultural and religious centers, shows serious fear of the intellectual and civil growth of this community by ignorant groups.
“The Taliban are incapable of providing security.”
Former head of the National Directorate of Security Rahmatullah Nabil described the attack as inhumane and vicious.
“Once again, the filthy hands of terrorism have dragged our innocent compatriots in Herat into dust and blood,” he posted on X.
Former MP Aref Rahmani said it’s a continuation of the genocide of Hazaras.
“The series of Hazara genocide continues. Neither the ruling terrorists nor Islamic and non-Islamic countries, nor any institution or organization in the world take a step to stop this genocide,” Rahmani posted on X.
He said that Hazaras must themselves decide once and for all whether to endure this horrific and appalling situation or to stop this dreadful genocide in the country through legal, political, and security measures.
Deadly assaults targeting Hazaras have been a recurring tragedy in Afghanistan, with many attributed to ISIS’s Khorasan branch.
