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Three Wedding Guests Shot Dead In Afghanistan For Playing Music At Reception

Published

3 years ago

November 1, 2021

Three wedding guests have reportedly been shot dead at a wedding reception in eastern Afghanistan on Friday night for allegedly playing music at the reception..

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid informed reporters at a press conference on Sunday that the attack was carried out by three gunmen who claimed to be Taliban militants before opening fire. He revealed that the attack took place in the Surkh Rod district of Nangarhar Province.

At least two individuals were killed, according to a local journalist, and ten more were injured. The Taliban official stressed that executing someone for playing music was not permitted and that an investigation was ongoing to determine whether the occurrence was the result of a personal feud.

“In the ranks of the Islamic Emirate, no one has the right to turn anyone away from music or anything, only to try to persuade them. That is the main way,” Mujahid told the press conference.

Mujahid later said in a series of Twitter tweets that the suspects claimed to be Taliban militants and asked for the music to be turned off before firing but he never mentioned if they were who they claim to be or not. He claimed that two people involved in the incident had been apprehended, but that a third had gotten away.

Despite their opposition to music being played at weddings and other public gatherings, the Taliban have yet to release an order prohibiting it since taking control in August.

The Taliban kidnapped folk singer Fawad Andarabi from his home and killed him in late August, while musicians in the nation told CNN’s Clarissa Ward that they were warned not to play their instruments.

The Taliban outlawed most types of music as un-Islamic during their previous administration in Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001.