Thousands gathered in Herat for the funeral of 11 people killed in a picnic shooting, as the community united in grief and blood donation.
HERAT: Thousands of Afghans gathered in the western city of Herat on Tuesday to hold a funeral for some of the 11 people killed by gunmen while picnicking last week.
Unidentified assailants rode on motorbikes to a recreational spot beside a Shia shrine on Friday, the Afghan government said, killing people who had gathered there to relax among the trees.
There was a heavy security presence Tuesday for the funeral of eight victims, which was held at the city’s largest Shia shrine.
Forty-year-old Mujtaba Akbari, who was among the mourners, told AFP his father and two brothers had been killed.
“When I arrived at the scene of the incident, all the dead bodies were lying there,” he said.
“One person is still in a very critical condition; he’s in a coma. And (there are) three others who need to be taken out of the country for treatment,” added Akbari.
Eight people were wounded in the shooting, Herat’s information office said on Saturday.
Afghan authorities announced one arrest on Friday, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
One Herat resident, Ali Reza Hussaini, said people rushed to the hospital as soon as they heard about the shooting.
“Everyone arriving there said that if my blood is a match, please take it,” the 30-year-old told AFP.
“Blood was not needed, but still people were donating blood. They were from everywhere — Shia, Sunni, everyone,” he said.
Following the funeral, a separate ceremony was held for the three others killed.
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.
