Death toll from Herat shootinghits 11

The death toll from a shooting in western Afghanistan rose to 11 on Saturday, the provincial authority said, after gunmen targeted civilians at a picnic spot in Herat.

Bullet marks were visible on a wall of the Sayed Mohammad Agha Shia shrine, an AFP journalist said, while bloodstains marked a blanket abandoned at the scene.

"Eleven people have been recorded dead and eight others wounded from Friday's incident, with the condition of two of the wounded reported as critical," Herat's information office said in a statement.

The update raises a toll of seven killed, provided on Friday by the interior ministry.

The attack southwest of Herat city was carried out by "unidentified armed men riding motorcycles", ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the shooting.

People from different parts of Herat usually gather beside the shrine to picnic among the trees, the AFP journalist said.