A gang of masked gunmen stormed a wedding party in eastern Afghanistan, killing the groom and eight others in an attack blamed on Taliban-linked insurgents, officials said.

The groom was a cousin of the local district chief, while women and children were among the casualties in the attack at the family party in Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan, the provincial spokesman said.

The gunmen were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and stormed the house where the party was being held, said spokesman Abdulzia Ahmadzai.

“Nine people were killed and five others injured last night when armed opposition militants attacked a wedding party in Dur Baba district,” he said.

District chief Hamisha Gul Muslim said that his cousin was the groom and that he had been killed in the attack.

Raees Khan, a senior member of the dead man’s family, said the wedding party had been taking place in the courtyard of a house when around 20 masked, armed men broke in.

“Unknown armed men, their faces covered with masks, stormed the wedding and started spraying bullets at the guests,” he said.