More than 20 dead in Afghanistan after attack at memorial for Shiite leader

Several gunmen on Friday killed at least 27 people and wounded an estimated 55 in Kabul, Afghanistan, at a remembrance ceremony for a Shiite leader, according to multiple reports.

All of the casualties were civilians, Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi confirmed Friday, The Associated Press reported. The injured had been taken to nearby hospitals in Kabul, Health Ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar confirmed. 

Several political leaders escaped the ceremony unharmed, including Afghanistan’s chief executive Abdullah Abdullah.

Afghan law enforcement was still attempting to bring gunmen out of an unfinished apartment building, Rahimi confirmed. Gunfire could be heard from the area for hours, The Washington Post reported.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a tweet Friday, “The barbaric attack on the commemoration ceremony of martyr Mazari is a crime against humanity. The Afghan government condemns the attack in the strongest terms. The brave security forces will take any possible action to repel the attack and protect the people,” The Washington Post reported.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, including the Taliban. However, Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate has declared a war on Shiites in the country, according to the AP.  

Most of the attendees at the memorial were Shiite, and it was held in the mostly Shiite Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood in Kabul, the outlet reported. The event was held to mark 25 years since the death of Abdul Ali Mazari, the leader of Afghanistan’s ethnic minority Hazaras, who are predominately Shiite Muslims. He was killed by the Taliban amid efforts to control Kabul.

The attack came days after the Trump administration signed a deal with the Taliban aimed at paving the way for U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan. However, there has been a surge of violence attributed to the insurgent group following the signing of the deal, and the U.S. military conducted an airstrike against the Taliban on Wednesday.