Afghan officials: Islamic State kills 3 Shiite elders

KABUL Afghanistan. – Afghan officials say Islamic State militants killed three Shiite elders as they were returning home from a graduation ceremony at a local religious school.

Zabiullah Amani, spokesman for the governor of the northern Sari Pul province, said Thursday that the three men were killed the day before in the Sayad district.

Asadullah Kuram, a member of the provincial council, says a local Islamic State affiliate claimed the attack.

The Sunni extremist group views Shiites as apostates and has claimed previous attacks targeting the religious minority. The upstart IS affiliate has clashed with the much larger Taliban movement, which has been at war with the U.S.-backed Afghan government for more than 15 years.