Taliban arrest 2 after 3 wedding guests killed over music in Nangarhar

Taliban have said two of the three attackers, who killed at least three people during a wedding in eastern Afghanistan over the music being played, have been arrested. Gunmen introducing themselves as Taliban attacked the wedding in Shamspur Mar Ghundi village of Nangarhar province on Friday night.

"Two suspects have been taken into custody by the Taliban in connection with the incident and one who escaped is still being pursued. The perpetrators of the incident caught, who have used the name of the Islamic Emirate to carry out their personal feud, have been handed over to face Sharia law," Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, according to news agency AFP.

According to AFP, a relative of the victims said the Taliban men opened fire while music was being played. "The young men were playing music in a separate room and three Taliban fighters came and opened fire on them. The injuries of the two wounded are serious," the witness told reporters.

When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan the last time between 1996 and 2001, they banned music. While the new government has not yet issued such a decree, its leadership still frowns on its use in entertainment and sees it as a breach of Islamic law.

"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 told a news conference earlier.

"If anyone kills someone by himself, even if they are our personnel, that is a crime and we will introduce them to the courts and they will face the law," he said.

The previous Taliban government imposed a very strict interpretation of Islamic law and harsh public punishments. However, since recapturing Afghanistan in August after overthrowing the US-backed government, the Taliban have tried to show a more moderate face.