Wedding Ends In Tragedy, 3 Guests Killed In Afghanistan For Playing Music

Three gunmen in Afghanistan, who claimed to be members of the Taliban, shot and killed at least three wedding guests Friday for playing music at the reception.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters at a Sunday press conference that several people were injured but they did not specify how many. A local journalist told CNN the number was over 10.

“Last night, at the wedding of Haji Malang Jan in Shamspur Mar Ghundi village of Nangarhar, three people who introduced themselves as Taliban entered the proceedings and [asked] that the music stop playing,” Mujahid said. “As a result of firing, at least three people have been killed and several others have been injured.”

Mujahid added that two of the three attackers have been arrested. Upon interrogation, they denied acting on behalf of the Islamist movement, the Guardian noted.

The Taliban spokesman later said that they have opened an investigation on whether the incident was due to a personal feud since it is not permissible to kill anyone for playing music.

"In the ranks of the Islamic Emirate no one has the right to turn anyone away from music or anything, only to try to persuade them. That is the main way," Mujahid said, according to Agence France-Presse.

CNN reported that Mujahid later tweeted posts that the suspects had asked for the music to be stopped before firing but they had not verified whether the wedding guests actually stopped the music.

Though the Taliban has not issued any decrees banning music, the previous Taliban government that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 did ban most forms of music as un-Islamic. During that time, they issued harsh public punishments to those who did not adhere to the orders.