Gunfight kills at least 20 at Afghan wedding

As many wedding guests were killed last January at a wedding in Afghanistan’s Helmand province when a stray rocket hit a house that was used to host the party.

The clash broke out after the relative of a provincial police official was assassinated, district police chief Gulistan Qasani told AP news agency.

A day earlier on Sunday, a group of unknown armed men abducted 11 passengers of a bus in Dand-e-Ghori area of the same province, Baghlan and took them to some unknown locations, police said.

Baghlan province has been plagued by Taliban violence, as well as unrest linked to local feuds and rivalry between criminal groups.

“A local security official fired in the air after the verbal exchange heated up… and then both sides started trading fire”, Qusani said, giving a higher death toll of 21.

Expensive and lavish weddings have become common since the Taliban were toppled in 2001, in contrast to their time in power when musical revelry and dancing were banned.

The remote district, with little government presence, has witnessed frequent family disputes over land and other issues, Al Jazeera’s Qais Azimy said.

Afghan security forces have been sent to the scene. Another eight people were wounded.