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| At Least 20 Are Killed in Attack at Afghan Wedding Party | At Least 20 Are Killed in Attack at Afghan Wedding Party |
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| KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 20 people were killed at a large wedding party in northern Afghanistan when a group of gunmen opened fire on the gathering, the authorities said Monday. | KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 20 people were killed at a large wedding party in northern Afghanistan when a group of gunmen opened fire on the gathering, the authorities said Monday. |
| The shooting began as a band played for the nearly 500 guests in a village in the mountains of Baghlan Province on Sunday night, a senator from the province, Samay Faisal, said by telephone. | The shooting began as a band played for the nearly 500 guests in a village in the mountains of Baghlan Province on Sunday night, a senator from the province, Samay Faisal, said by telephone. |
| Mr. Faisal said that the gunmen had been dispatched to the party by a local commander when he saw that one of his rivals was present at the party. | |
| “They opened fire at the crowd, which resulted in the killing of 22 people and the wounding of 10 others,” Mr. Faisal said. Other men at the gathering were armed and returned fire, killing at least two of the attackers, he said. | “They opened fire at the crowd, which resulted in the killing of 22 people and the wounding of 10 others,” Mr. Faisal said. Other men at the gathering were armed and returned fire, killing at least two of the attackers, he said. |
| A member of the provincial council, Shamsul Haq Barakzai, said there were 20 dead and 14 wounded. He said the violence fit into a larger pattern of shootings at weddings, often caused by “family disputes and personal rivalries.” | A member of the provincial council, Shamsul Haq Barakzai, said there were 20 dead and 14 wounded. He said the violence fit into a larger pattern of shootings at weddings, often caused by “family disputes and personal rivalries.” |
| The local commander whose gunmen opened fire was identified as Juma Khan Ayub by two politicians from Baghlan: Mr. Faisal and a member of the provincial council, Noorzia Aymaq. | |
| On Monday, men from the village and the surrounding area were reticent when asked about who Mr. Khan’s target had been or the nature of the underlying dispute. But one person who lost many relatives in the attack, Commander Ghani, said that the groom, a mullah named Hameedullah, “had no enmity with anyone or with this commander Juma Khan.” | |
| “I don’t understand why this horrific incident happened last night,” said Commander Ghani, who was not present at the wedding but said that 15 of his relatives had been killed. The dead were almost entirely young men and boys, including two relatives of the groom. Commander Ghani said that the groom had not been hurt, but a local official described him as wounded. | |
| The area of Baghlan Province where the shooting occurred is outside Taliban control and has few insurgents. But it has a reputation for vendettas, which is hinted at in a local saying: “We don’t ever die lying in our beds.” | The area of Baghlan Province where the shooting occurred is outside Taliban control and has few insurgents. But it has a reputation for vendettas, which is hinted at in a local saying: “We don’t ever die lying in our beds.” |
| As in many parts of rural Afghanistan, there are countless informal networks of armed men, many based on kinship and others dating from the fight against the Soviets or the ensuing Afghan civil war. The title “qomandan,” or commander, is a common one. Sometimes it is simply an honorific reflecting past battlefield exploits or leadership, but it often also speaks to a person’s ability to summon armed men quickly. | |
| By Monday morning, as much of the village was preparing to bury the dead, the shooting resumed. Commander Ghani said that armed men were firing rocket-propelled grenades along the road to the provincial capital, targeting mourners headed there to attend the funerals of some of those who had died. |