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A30 world news
Diasabra 12 Juni 2021

Afghan Hazaras being killed at school, play, even at birth

(AP) — Just running er- Some Hazaras say the May 8
rands in the mainly Haz- attack on the Syed al-Shahada
ara neighborhoods of west school was a turning point.
Kabul can be dangerous.
One day last week, Adila It is a significant reversal for
Khiari and her two daugh- a community that showed
ters went out to buy new such hope in a new Afghani-
curtains. Soon after, her stan. After the fall of the Tal-
son heard that a minibus iban, many Hazara militias
had been bombed — the gave up their weapons under
fourth to be blown up in a government disarmament
just 48 hours. program, even as other fac-
tions were reluctant.
When his mother didn’t an-
swer her phone, he franti- “We used to think the pen
cally searched hospitals in the and the book were our great-
Afghan capital. He found his est weapon, but now we re-
sister Hosnia in critical con- alize it is the gun we need,”
dition with burns over 50% said Ghulam Reza Berati, a
of her body. Then he found prominent Hazara religious
his mother and other sister, leader. Fathers of the girls
Mina, both dead. Three days killed in the school attack are
later, on Sunday, Hosnia died being told to invest in weap-
as well. ons, said Berati, who helped
bury many of the girls.
In all, 18 people were killed here to die,” said Broman. “I ers, shooting and killing at
in the two-day string of After the collapse of the Tal- see a very dark future for our least 10, witnesses said the at- Sitting on the carpets of west
bombings against minivans iban 20 years ago, the Hazaras people.” tackers tried to pick Hazaras Kabul’s Wali Asar Mosque,
in Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi embraced hopes for a new out of the workers to kill. Berati said Hazaras are dis-
district. It was the latest in a democracy in Afghanistan. There is plenty for Hazaras appointed in the democracy
vicious campaign of violence Long the country’s poorest to fear. Some of these attacks, de- brought by the U.S.-led co-
targeting Afghanistan’s mi- community, they began to liberately targeting civilians, alition. Hazaras have largely
nority Hazara community improve their lot, advancing Since it emerged in 2014 and hospitals and children, could been excluded from positions
— one that Hazaras fear will in various fields, including 2015, a vicious Islamic State rise to the level of war crimes, of prominence, he said.
only get worse after the final education and sports. affiliate has declared war on said Patricia Gossman, asso-
withdrawal of American and Afghanistan’s Shiites and has ciate director for Asia at Hu- Hazaras worry about con-
NATO troops this summer. Now many Hazaras are mov- claimed responsibility for man Rights Watch. tinuing IS attacks and about
ing to take up arms to protect many of the recent attacks on the potential return of the
Hundreds of Afghans are themselves in what they ex- the Hazaras. Pedram’s organization has Taliban to power after the
killed or injured every month pect will be a war for control petitioned the U.N. Human American withdrawal. But
in violence connected to among Afghanistan’s many Former government adviser Rights Commission to inves- they also worry about the
the country’s constant war. factions. Torek Farhadi told The As- tigate the killing of Hazaras many heavily armed warlords
But Hazaras, who make up sociated Press that within the as genocide or a crime against who are part of the govern-
around 9% of the population Inside the Nabi Rasool political leadership, “from humanity. It and other rights ment. Some of them carried
of 36 million people, stand Akram Mosque compound, the top down,” there is a groups also helped the Inter- out violence against Haz-
alone in being intentionally protected by sandbags stacked “sorry culture” of discrimi- national Criminal Court in aras in the past, and Hazaras
targeted because of their eth- against its ornate doors and nation against Hazaras. “The 2019 compile suspected war fear they will do so again if
nicity — distinct from the 10-foot high walls, Qatradul- government, in a cynical cal- crimes cases in Afghanistan. post-withdrawal Afghanistan
other ethnic groups, such as lah Broman was among the culation, has decided Hazara slides into a repeat of the bru-
Tajik and Uzbek and the Pa- Hazaras attending the funeral lives are cheap,” he said. “The world doesn’t speak tal inter-factional civil war of
shtun majority — and their of Adila and Mina this week. about our deaths. The world the early 1990s.
religion. Most Hazaras are Since 2015, attacks have is silent. Are we not human?”
Shiite Muslims, despised The government doesn’t killed at least 1,200 Hazaras said Mustafa Waheed, an el- One warlord who is still
by Sunni Muslim radicals care about Hazaras and has and injured another 2,300, derly Hazara weeping at the prominent in Kabul, Abdul
like the Islamic State group, failed to protect them, he according to Wadood Pe- burial of Mina and her moth- Rasool Sayyaf, led a Pashtun
and discriminated against by said. “Anyone who can afford dram, executive director of er. militia that massacred Hazara
many in the Sunni majority to leave, they are leaving. the Kabul-based Human civilians during a ferocious
country. Those who can’t are staying Rights and Eradication of A black velvet cloth inscribed 1993 battle with Hazara mili-
Violence Organization. in gold with Quranic verses tias in Kabul’s mainly Hazara
was draped over the two bod- neighborhood of Afshar.
Hazaras have been preyed ies. Family and friends car-
on at schools, weddings, ried them on wooden beds, Rajab Ali Urzgani became a
mosques, sports clubs, even then placed them inside the sort of folk hero in his com-
at birth. graves. Mina’s father fell to munity as one of the young-
the ground crying. est Hazara commanders dur-
Last year, gunmen attacked ing the Battle of Afshar —
a maternity hospital in the “The U.S. can go into space, only 14 at the time.
mainly Hazara districts of but they can’t find out who
west Kabul. When the shoot- is doing this?” Waheed said. Now 41 and still known by
ing ended, 24 people were “They can see an ant move his nom de guerre, Mangol,
dead, including newborns from space, but they can’t see he returned to Afshar earlier
and their mothers. Last who is killing Hazaras?” this month with the AP to
month, a triple bombing at visit the site. He stopped to
the Syed Al-Shahada school In the face of the killings, talk give a prayer for the dead at
in the same area killed nearly has turned to arming Hazara a mass grave where nearly 80
100 people, mostly Hazara youth to defend the com- men, women and children
schoolgirls. This week, when munity, particularly in the were killed in the bloodshed
militants attacked a com- districts that the community are buried. A black Shiite
pound of de-mining work- dominates in western Kabul. banner flies at the entrance.