IS militants kill 14 in a Shiite area of Afghanistan in one of the deadliest attacks this year
The Taliban say gunmen have killed 14 people in a Shiite-majority area in central Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Islamic State militants killed 14 people in a Shiite-majority area in central Afghanistan in one of the deadliest attacks in the country this year.
The militant group claimed responsibility for the shooting, which took place on Thursday and targeted a group of minority Hazaras traveling between the provinces of Ghor and Daikundi. Six other people were wounded in the attack.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the shootings before the Taliban authorities in Kabul acknowledged the attack. The IS said its fighters used a machine gun in the assault, and claimed inflicting a higher death toll than the Taliban later reported.
The Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying the gunmen targeted people welcoming Afghan Shiites who were returning home from visiting shrines in Iraq. He called for immediate action to punish those behind the crime.
