Afghanistan: Taliban accused of killing 13 ethnic Hazaras



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Since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent Taliban takeover, there are fears that long-persecuted ethnic and religious minorities, such as the Hazara Shiite minority ethnic group, may be targeted as they were under the previous one. Taliban regime.

Eleven of the victims of the August 30 killings were former members of the Afghan national defense security forces and two were civilians, Amnesty reports. The killings reportedly took place in the village of Kahor, in the Khidir district of Daykundi province.

“The Taliban extrajudicially executed nine of the Afghan national defense security forces after their surrender, murders that appear to be war crimes. Two civilians were killed as they tried to flee the area, including a 17-year-old girl who was gunned down when the Taliban opened fire on a crowd of people, “Amnesty said in a press release on Monday, citing testimonies collected. as part of his investigation.

Amnesty said it checked the footage and video evidence recorded following the incident and presented the events in a timeline, starting with the Taliban takeover of Daykundi province on August 14.

Taliban fighters on top of vehicles displaying Taliban flags march along a road to celebrate the withdrawal of all their troops from Afghanistan by the United States, in Kandahar on September 1.

CNN cannot independently verify the findings of the investigation.

CNN has reached out to the Taliban for comment.

“These cold-blooded executions are further proof that the Taliban are committing the same horrific abuses they were notorious for during their previous rule over Afghanistan. They repeatedly violate the rights of those they see as their adversaries, killing even those who have already surrendered, “Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard said in a statement.

“The Taliban say they are not targeting former employees of the previous government, but these killings contradict those claims.

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