Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN)A wedding in Afghanistan turned deadly Sunday night when a gunfight broke out, killing 21 people, an Afghan official said.
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Baghlan and other provinces of the north have been plagued by insurgency since the war against the Taliban started in 2001.
The shooters were guests at the event and believed to be members of illegal local militias, rather than militant groups such as the Taliban or al Qaeda, provincial chief Gen. Abdul Jabar Purdeli said.
The Afghan security forces have been deployed in the area to intervene but the main reason behind the gun battle has not been ascertained so far.
Some witnesses said the army attack was triggered when wedding guests shot celebratory gunfire into the air as the bride was brought to the groom’s house.
Prior to the incident, three civilians had been killed in Kashanabad village and three others killed in the neighboring Fuj parish over the past two weeks, Amin said.
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President Ashraf Ghani’s government has drawn criticism for failing to end growing insurgent attacks, which critics partly blame on political infighting and a protracted delay in appointing a candidate for the crucial post of defence minister.
