UNAMA Calls On Taliban To Investigate Attack On Sufis In Baghlan

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned the armed attack on a Sufi shrine in Baghlan province.

UNAMA has called on the Taliban to thoroughly investigate the attack on Sufis in Baghlan and prevent the recurrence of such attacks in the future.

On Thursday night, unidentified gunmen attacked the shrine of Sayyed Padshah Agha in Nahrin district of Baghlan province and opened fire on Sufis praying.

The Taliban's police command in Baghlan confirmed in a statement that at least 10 people were killed in the attack.

The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) wrote in a note on Saturday, November 23, that the Taliban must ensure the protection of communities.

Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said, "Religious minorities continue to be under serious threat. All Afghans have the right to worship in peace."

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, but sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban had previously warned the custodians of the Sayyed Badshah Agha shrine in Nahrin, Baghlan to refrain from holding zikr ceremonies at the shrine.

According to sources, the Taliban's Directorate for the Promotion of Virtue in Baghlan had declared the circles of the Khanqah to be "illegitimate”.

According to official reports, since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, Sufi shrines and monasteries have been targeted by deadly attacks at least five times, in which at least 113 people have been killed and 228 others injured.