Sufi ritual turns tragic as gunman opens fire, killing 10 in Afghanistan

Ten people were killed when a gunman opened fire on a Sufi shrine in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province, as reported by Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Matin Qani.

"A man fired on Sufis taking part in a weekly ritual at a shrine in a remote area of Nahrin district, killing 10 people," Qani stated, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

A resident of Nahrin, who was familiar with the victims, told journalists that the worshippers had gathered at the Sayed Pacha Agha shrine on November 21 evening. 

They had started a Sufi chant when "a man shot at the dozen worshippers," he said, requesting anonymity.

“When people arrived for morning prayers, they discovered the bodies,” he added.

“On Thursday nights, these people would gather under the pretext of the Sufi order. An armed individual came and martyred them all,” said another local resident of Nahrin.

Another eyewitness shared the traumatic scene, stating, “They killed those poor people. When we were young, we used to join them—one would play the drum, and others would gather.”

Witnesses indicated that one of the victims, identified as Aziz, was shot while attempting to leave the room. Blood stains were found at the scene.

Attacks targeting Sufis during their rituals or gatherings are a common occurrence in Afghanistan, a country with a predominantly Muslim population, where the Taliban authorities enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, which differs from the Sufi practices.

In April 2022, 33 people, including children, were killed in an explosion that targeted a Sufi mosque during Friday prayers in Kunduz province.

Although the number of bomb attacks has decreased since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, extremists, along with the regional branch of the militant group Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), continue to attack targets they deem heretical.

In September, the IS-K claimed responsibility for an attack in central Afghanistan that killed 14 people who had gathered to welcome pilgrims returning from the holy site of Karbala in Iraq.

By Tamilla Hasanova