In a deadly incident in the Injil district of Herat province, dozens of people were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in the Deh Miri area. The victims were predominantly Shia Muslims who had gone out for recreation on Friday and had gathered near a shrine. Sources put the death toll at 35, while the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior announced a figure of seven. Medical sources at the Herat Regional Hospital, at the time of this report, placed the death toll at 12, with between 20 and 25 people wounded. The incident has drawn widespread reactions. Several citizens and anti-Taliban movements attributed the attack to Takfiri groups, claiming that the roots of these Takfiri elements can be traced to the office of the Taliban’s provincial governor in Herat. As of the time of publication, no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Dozens of people were sprayed with gunfire by unidentified armed men in Herat on Friday, April 10, 2026. Local sources say four armed individuals riding two motorcycles arrived in the village of Deh Miri in the Injil district, first separated the men from the women and children, and then opened fire on them. According to these sources, the gunmen also fired at women and children who attempted to flee.
Sources add that the incident occurred at approximately 3:00 p.m. on Friday in the Injil district of the province. The Taliban announced seven killed and 13 wounded. Local sources, however, put the death toll at no fewer than 35, saying that due to the large crowd gathered at the recreational area and the shrine, the actual number of casualties is likely higher than the figures released by the Taliban.
A Herat resident who went to the Herat Regional Hospital to donate blood said there were a large number of wounded at the hospital. Quoting those injured in the incident, he added that two motorcycle riders had arrived at the place where people were gathered at the shrine and then collected their mobile phones. He said the unidentified gunmen separated the men and shot them in front of the women and children, and when the women and children tried to flee, they too were fired upon, resulting in a large number of killed and wounded.
The Herat resident added: “There were a great many people out for recreation, because after heavy rainfall, the weather had turned sunny and many people had gone out to enjoy themselves and were present at the Ziyaratgah (shrine) area. Deh Miri and the shrine are located roughly on the boundary line between the Injil and Zinda Jan districts. What I noticed was that from three in the afternoon until six, ambulances were continuously coming and going in the area.”
Another Herat resident said, “Deh Miri has a well-known Shia shrine in that location. People had come from various neighborhoods to spend time there. Unfortunately, armed individuals arrived and shot everyone who crossed their path. In all likelihood, these individuals belong to the Taliban themselves, because they have a presence nearby, yet despite the gunfire and the sound of screaming, they did not arrive at the scene for a long time.”
In the same incident, Arbab Ahmad, the village elder of Deh Miri, along with his son, who had gone to the area to help the victims, were also killed. According to sources, during the incident, the village elder was informed that armed individuals had arrived and were harming people. Thinking that these individuals might be affiliated with a Taliban checkpoint, he went to the area, but was shot and killed.
A Herat resident who lost loved ones in the attack said: “A mother and her daughter, whose wedding had just recently taken place, were killed. Her daughter had just become a mother three months ago. The brother-in-law of this mother had also just gotten married, and they have a disabled child; he is the only one who survived. The younger sister and the father are both in a coma.”
Among the images published of the victims, teenagers can also be seen. Among them, a photo circulating on social media is said to be of Amir Ali Rasouli, described as an outstanding student, who was killed along with his sister and mother, while his father was wounded. According to published reports, this child was also a reciter of the Quran.
The incident has drawn widespread reactions from citizens across the country, including anti-Taliban military fronts. They stated that the Taliban, despite claiming to have established nationwide security, are unable to prevent deadly and shocking terrorist incidents from occurring. These citizens also alleged that the Taliban were directly involved in this incident.
Dawood Naji, a political activist, wrote in response to the incident: “1. The Taliban governor in Herat, ‘Noor Mohammad Islamjar,’ in his book, considers Shia Muslims to be grave-worshippers and labels them as Takfiri. 2. Going to recreational areas has been banned by the Taliban, and on numerous occasions, the Taliban have attacked recreational gatherings with sticks and clubs. 3. Today’s massacre in Deh Miri, Herat, took place at a recreational gathering near a shrine. The Taliban are the direct perpetrators of this massacre.”
Din Mohammad, a social media user, wrote: “There is no doubt that the main cause of such terrorist incidents in the country is the promotion of extremist and Takfiri ideology, which has been institutionalized and spread throughout Afghanistan by the Taliban terrorist regime, and which, just as in previous years, continues today to claim victims among the defenseless and oppressed people of this land.”
Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) issued a statement condemning the incident, saying that Afghanistan under Taliban rule has become a haven for domestic, regional, and international terrorist groups that are ideologically aligned with and allied to the Taliban, and that the country is currently a secure territory only for radical extremists, Takfiris, and their spy networks and propaganda militias.
The statement read: “People from various ethnic groups, religious communities, and vulnerable segments of society enjoy no physical or psychological security under the rule of the Taliban Emirate. The targeting of our Shia compatriots by the Taliban and their allied terrorist networks in Afghanistan, particularly in Herat province, has a long history, and the people living under Taliban rule have always existed in the shadow of fear, threat, and physical and psychological insecurity. Mass attacks and massacres of Shia civilians in this province would be impossible without the support, facilitation, and financing of radical terrorist networks whose roots lead directly to the office of the Taliban’s so-called governor in Herat.”
The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) also issued a statement strongly condemning what it described as this horrific crime and the brutal massacre of indigenous Shia citizens in the village of Deh Miri, Injil district, Herat province. The statement read: “This deeply shocking tragedy is a continuation of the systematic policy of terror and intimidation upon which the Taliban have relied for the past two decades, and which has now become standard practice for their allied terrorist groups. The occurrence of such crimes is a direct consequence of the security vacuum and the deep crisis that has cast its shadow over the country since the Taliban’s illegitimate takeover.”
Some other citizens, particularly residents of Herat, called the Taliban a failure at providing security for the people, saying that instead of hiring mullahs to harass women and men on the streets, they should be focused on preventing such deadly incidents.
Darwish, a social media user, wrote: “Taliban, power is in your hands, what are you doing with it? You said you would bring security, but where is the security? This is the work of Takfiri groups like yourselves, especially when the killing has a religious motive; it is extremely dangerous. This means people no longer feel physically safe either.”
This is occurring against a backdrop in which, in the past, most attacks against Shia Muslims were claimed by ISIS, yet this incident has so far not been claimed by any group.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
