Gunmen kill 9 Shia Muslim miners in Afghanistan's Baghlan

Armed men have gunned down nine Shia miners in Afghanistan's northern province of Baghlan.

"Nine coal miners were killed by unknown gunmen in Tala wa Barfak," district governor Faiz Mohammad Amiri told media on Friday.

No group has claimed responsibility for the killings in the remote district, but the government in Kabul blamed the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

"They were heading home when their vehicles were stopped by gunmen" who shot them dead, Amiri said.

The governor of Bamiyan province, apparently where the Shia Muslim coal miners were originally from, confirmed the deadly incident.

Daesh has reportedly managed to recruit from Taliban militants and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Until a few months ago, Daesh was largely confined to the eastern province of Nangarhar bordering Pakistan, where it is notorious for its brutal tactics, including beheadings.

However, the government this week said the Takfiri terrorist group was steadily expanding into other provinces.

About 2,000 Shia Muslims in western Afghanistan staged a protest on January 3 against growing attacks by Daesh and demanded protection from the government.

SS