6 killed, 3 injured in attack on clerics in Herat, Afghanistan

Jibril (Agencies): According to reports, in an attack by unidentified armed individuals on the passengers of a three-wheeler, at least six people, including two clerics, were killed, and three others were wounded in Jibril district of Herat province on Friday.

These individuals were returning from a memorial ceremony for a Hazara cleric in the Khoshroud area of Anjil Herat when they were attacked. The incident occurred at approximately 2 PM on Friday, around 10 kilometres from the city centre, in the vicinity of the Shaheedan and Kuh-e Melli districts within the Jibril district of Herat.
Witnessed that the armed individual stopped the victims’ vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, in the Kuh-e Melli area and then proceeded to open fire on the passengers.

The attackers targeted Mohammad Taqi Sadeghi, the imam of the Rasoul-e Azam Mosque, and Mohammad Mohsen Hamidi, the imam of the Hazrat Abolfazl Mosque in Herat’s Jibril district, as they were attending a memorial ceremony for Mohammad Etemadi, who had been assassinated by unidentified armed individuals in the Khoshroud area of Anjil Herat.

According to reports, during the past one and half months, at least four Hazara clerics or religious leaders have been killed in Herat. The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan had previously stated that they were investigating the “very concerning” assassination of two Shia clerics in Herat.

Richard Bent, the UN official, had called for an independent investigation following international morals into this incident and the punishment of the perpetrators. Despite the Taliban’s assurances about security, there is a growing rise in security threats, particularly for the Hazara community.