The Taliban government said on Saturday that gunmen claiming to be members of the Taliban had shot and killed three guests for playing music at a wedding.

Sabihullah Mujahid, an Afghan executive spokesman, said two of the three militants had been arrested and were not working for the Islamic National Movement, which returned to power in mid-August.

“At Haji Malang Jan’s wedding in Shamspur Margundi town in Nangarhar last night, three people who introduced themselves as Taliban entered the ceremony and asked to stop the music,” the spokesman explained. After a series of shots, at least three people were killed and several were injured, “he added.

“The Taliban have arrested two suspects and are still searching for a third survivor,” a spokesman said. In his opinion, the attackers “used the name of the Islamic Emirate to provide personal accounts and will now face the burden of Sharia law”.

Khasi Mulla Adal, a spokesman for Nangarhar province, confirmed the incident without giving further details.

“The youths were playing music in a separate room. Three Taliban men came and shot them. The condition of the two injured is serious,” a witness reported.

Secular music was banned by the Taliban during its previous rule (1996-2001). Although the new Islamic government has not yet legislated on the issue, they still believe that listening to secular music is against Islamic law.

A government spokesman said in a previous press conference that the Taliban opposed such acts. “If someone decides to kill someone, even if he is one of our people, he commits a crime and we are going to bring him to court,” he declared.