United Nations Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, on Friday called for an independent and comprehensive investigation into the killing of two Shia clerics in Herat.
The incident follows the murder of another cleric in the same province in October, he said.
Bennett expressed deep concern over the reports of the killing of religious scholars Rajab Akhlaqi and Khadim Hossein Hedayati in an armed attack in the Jibril area on the outskirts of Herat city in the west of the country on Thursday, Nov. 23.
Both were prominent figures in the area, with Hedayati serving as the mosque’s imam and Rajab Akhlaqi as a preacher in the same mosque.
“I’m looking into highly concerning reports of the killing of two Shia scholars in Herat yesterday which follows the killing of another cleric in the area in October. I urge a thorough independent investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice in line with international standards,” said Bennett.
The Taliban has yet to comment on the incident.
