KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of information and culture for the Taliban in Herat, says the number of people killed in the attack on civilians in Injil district has risen to 11 after seven of the wounded died.
He stated today (Saturday, April 11) that eight injured individuals are still receiving treatment at Herat’s provincial hospital.
However, Taliban authorities have presented conflicting casualty figures. The local Department of Information and Culture initially reported four killed and 15 wounded, but has now revised the death toll to 11.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior announced last night that, according to preliminary data, seven people were killed and 13 others wounded, noting that some of the injured were in critical condition. The ministry has not yet released updated figures.
Local sources, however, claim that around 20 people were killed in the attack, with several others injured.
According to a list of victims obtained by Etilaat Roz and KabulNow newspaper, at least 26 people were either killed or wounded. The list includes the names of at least three children and five women among the victims.
The attack occurred around 3:00 PM yesterday, when armed men targeted Shiite civilians in the “Dah Miri” area of Injil district, Herat province.
According to local reports, four armed attackers first separated the men from the women, tied their hands, and then opened fire on them.
Subsequently, the attackers also shot at women and children who attempted to flee in fear, resulting in additional people killed and injured.
Some of the victims were residents of Dah Miri village, while others were from the “Bakrabad” area in Herat city and had traveled to Dah Miri for recreation.
Local Taliban officials in Herat have stated that one person has been arrested in connection with the attack, and efforts are ongoing to detain the remaining perpetrators.
So far, no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In reaction, the Afghanistan Freedom Front alleged that such mass killings of Shiite civilians in Herat would be impossible without “support, facilitation, enabling, and funding of the extremist terrorist network whose threads lead back to the so-called governor’s office of the Taliban group in Herat.”
The group further claimed that the Taliban governor of Herat had previously written a book declaring Shiite sects as apostates and, in recent months, has been involved in the arrest, humiliation, and torture of Shiite religious scholars and community leaders.
Additionally, the group stated that targeting Shiite citizens has a long history and that people under Taliban rule continue to live in an atmosphere of fear, threats, and both physical and psychological insecurity.
They added that Afghanistan under Taliban control has become a safe haven for extremist groups, where only radical elements and aligned networks feel secure.
Separately, Nasir Ahmad Faiq, acting head of Afghanistan’s mission to the United Nations, strongly condemned the attack.
He said such incidents demonstrate that Afghanistan remains unsafe and that extremist groups continue to carry out organized and targeted attacks without fear of accountability.
He also expressed sympathy with the victims’ families and called for the perpetrators to be identified and brought to justice.
Likewise, former President Hamid Karzai and former Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
Karzai described the attack on civilians as inhumane, noting that women and children were among the victims.
Abdullah Abdullah also called the incident a “violent and inhumane act” and urged responsible authorities to take serious measures to identify and punish those responsible.
Finally, this attack reflects a broader pattern of violence in Afghanistan. In recent years, Shiites and Hazaras have repeatedly been targeted in similar attacks, some of which were claimed by ISIS.
Under Taliban rule, religious minorities continue to face serious security challenges, with concerns over systematic discrimination, targeted violence, and lack of adequate protection remaining widespread.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have faced widespread accusations of discrimination against non-Pashtun ethnic groups and religious minorities, alongside restrictions on civil liberties, media operations, and public dissent.
