Religious scholar gunned down in Parwan

Unidentified gunmen have shot dead a religious scholar in central Parwan province, an official said on Monday.

Mohammad Sadiq Hashimi, the Parwan crime branch chief, told Pajhwok Afghan News that Maulvi Abdul Raqeeb was killed while heading to Syedkhel district from Jabal-us-Saraj.

He was gunned down by unknown assailants in Harifkhel area on Sunday evening, the official added.

Raqeeb, who hailed from the Niazi village of Syedkhel district, was serving as an imam at a mosque in Jabal-us-Saraj. He was also a teacher at the Maulvi Shah Afghah Hanifi seminary.

Hashimi said no arrest had been made in connection with the assassination. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the murder.