The Taliban forces opened fire at a wedding party in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, killing two and leaving two others wounded, according to AFP. The incident happened after an argument broke out between the Islamist militant group and the guests over music being played at the party.

Ariana News reported that Taliban forces barged into the wedding party and asked for the music to be stopped. However, they eventually resorted to firing at the guests.

Taliban’s Nangarhar governor’s spokesman, Qazi Mullah Adel, confirmed the incident to AFP. Meanwhile, the group’s government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid although couldn’t confirm the matter, he promised that the Taliban’s policy is not to execute music lovers.

“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,” Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul, adding that probe into the matter is underway and it’s yet unclear how it happened.

He further stated that if an individual kills someone on their own, “even if they are (Taliban’s) personnel, that is a crime” and the group will introduce them to the courts to face the law.

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This comes close on the heels of another incident on Tuesday when a man was injured after an armed Taliban man opened fire to disperse a crowd that had made a queue to buy air tickets at the Kabul airport, Sputnik reported.

Quoting an eyewitness, the Sputnik report added that the Taliban man had his “finger on the trigger” when he dispersed the crowd at the airport, and that the group’s forces often have a cartridge in the chamber of the gun without the safety on.

“A man was injured. A Taliban man had his finger on the trigger when he dispersed the crowd, and they often have a cartridge in the chamber and the safety is off,” Sputnik quoted an eyewitness as saying. 

This news comes at a time when the Islamist group is vying for recognition of their interim government in Afghanistan from the international community more than two months after recapturing the country. Although the European Union (EU) recently announced an aid package worth $1.2 billion for Afghanistan, the bloc had made it clear that the fund was meant for “direct support” for the Afghans and not the Taliban as it doesn’t recognise it.

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Notably, banning music was among the several diktats that the Taliban had imposed in Afghanistan during their earlier regime in the 90s. 

World leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden, among others, have repeatedly stressed that recognition of the Taliban government in Afghanistan will be decided on the basis of their actions and how accurately the group lives up to its promises of creating a peaceful environment in the country. Notably, soon after recapturing Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the US and other foreign-led forces, the Taliban had vouched for women and children’s rights to education and work, human rights and not allowing the country to become a safe haven for terrorists.