Gunmen kill 11 people at Afghan picnic spot

The death toll from a shooting in western Afghanistan rose to 11 on Saturday, the provincial authority said, after gunmen targeted civilians at a picnic spot in Herat.

Bullet marks were visible on a wall of the Sayed Mohammad Agha Shia shrine, an AFP journalist said, while bloodstains marked a blanket abandoned at the scene.

"Eleven people have been recorded dead and eight others wounded from Friday's incident, with the condition of two of the wounded reported as critical," Herat's information office said in a statement.

The update raises a toll of seven killed provided on Friday by the interior ministry.

The attack southwest of Herat city was carried out by "unidentified armed men riding motorcycles", ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the shooting.

People from different parts of Herat usually gather beside the shrine to picnic among the trees, the AFP journalist said.

'Help us'

Mohammad Mohsen Rezayi, a resident who had four relatives killed in the shooting, said he had declined the offer to join them.

"They called us and said: 'Help us! We've all been shot'," the 67-year-old told AFP.

Rezayi rushed to the scene, but said he was stopped by security forces around 500 metres away.

One suspect has been arrested, according to Herat's information office.

There have been sporadic attacks since the Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021, including a deadly explosion at a Chinese restaurant in the capital Kabul in January.

Taliban officials have vowed to restore security to the country after decades of conflict.