Afghan man kills 15 of own family

KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan man killed 15 members of his family before ending his own life in a rare such incident in Afghanistan, a government official said on Sunday.

The government will investigate why Amanullah shot dead his family members with a rifle on Saturday in Andar district of Ghazni province, which lies to the southwest of Kabul, an interior ministry spokesman said.

"They included his mother, sisters, wife, brothers and his children," Zemarai Bashary said.

The motive behind the killing was not immediately clear, nor was Amanullah's age or profession.

Disputes, even over minor issues, involving family members and tribes can sometimes lead to bloody clashes in Afghanistan, but Saturday's incident, in which the victims were killed by a family member, are rarely heard of.

Suicide is also considered a taboo in conservative, Muslim Afghanistan.

(Reporting by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by Golnar Motevalli)