KABUL (SW) – In the midst of the ongoing series of killings of Hazara and Shiite citizens in Afghanistan, in the last two years, 163 people have been killed and 333 others have been injured in eight major terrorist incidents in the country.
Although the physical security of citizens has increased in the past two years compared to the past, but the targeted attacks on Hazara and Shia citizens have continued, the most recent incident of which happened on Thursday night of last week in the Dasht Barchi area in the west of Kabul city, where a boxing club named “Melet” was targeted.
Concerned about Hazara and Shia citizens being targeted in such attacks, analysts told Salam Watandar that the continuation of this situation can lead to the increase of ethnic divisions in the country. Sadeeq Shinwari, an expert on military and security issues, said: “Recent attacks show that the Islamic Emirate’s security and intelligence agencies have been completely in negligent and it cannot be justified, and these agencies should try to identify the perpetrators of these events.”
The most prominent attack against Hazara and Shiite citizens in the past two years was the attack on the Kaj educational center in the west of Kabul, which left 53 dead and more than 80 wounded. Similarly, the students of Abdul Rahim Shahid School in the west of Kabul were attacked by an explosion while leaving the school, as a result of which, six people were killed and 11 others were injured, most of them were students.
Last year also wwitnessed o two bloody events against Shia citizens in two mosques in Balkh and Kunduz. In the first incident that took place in the Sedekan mosque in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the center of Balkh, 30 Shia worshipers were killed and at least 80 others were injured. Following this, an explosive attack occurred inside the “Maulvi Sikander” mosque, in Imam Sahib district of Kunduz, as a result of which 36 people, including 12 children, were killed and 47 people, including five children, were injured.
Similarly, five civilians were killed and 25 were injured as a result of an explosion in Jibril town of Herat city. Almost one month after this attack, two cars carrying Hazara citizens were targeted by two explosions caused by an embedded mine in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the center of Balkh, as a result of which nine people were killed and 13 were injured.
Most of these important anti-security events against Shia citizens in the past two years occurred in 2021, and compared to that, in the current year, fewer events occurred against Hazara and Shia citizens, but in the past month, at least two serious anti-security incidents have occurred against Hazara and Shiite citizens, which have resulted in the deaths and injuries of a number of civilians.
The first incident occurred in the Imam Zaman Mosque in the city of Pul Khomri, the center of Baghlan, while a number of Hazara citizens were performing Friday prayers. According to reports, 20 people were killed and 40 people were injured in this attack. The most recent incident against the citizens of the Shiite religion is the explosion last Thursday night at the Melat boxing club in the west of Kabul, as a result of which four people have been killed and seven injured. Daesh has claimed responsibility for this attack.
However, the experts emphasize the necessity of taking more serious measures by the caretaker government to ensure the security of the community.
Asadullah Nadim, an expert on military issues, says: “From a legal, juridical, Sharia and duty point of view, it is the duty of the current government to guarantee the safety and immunity of these citizens. It is the government’s responsibility to provide security in the areas where the Hazaras live.”
Officials in the Ministry of Interior Affairs, pointing out that the attack on Hazara and Shiite citizens is aimed at disrupting ethnic unity in Afghanistan, say that they will do more to ensure the security of vulnerable areas. Basmullah Habib, the deputy spokesman of the ministry, says: “The Ministry of Interior, while taking stricter measures in vulnerable areas, also asks the people to cooperate fully with the security forces.”
It should be noted that the Khorasan branch of the Daesh group took responsibility for the three attacks against Shia and Hazara citizens mentioned in this report. Forces of the Islamic Emirate have launched many operations on Daesh hiding places in different parts of Afghanistan in the last two years to dismantle it. However, no group has claimed responsibility for the five attacks that targeted Shiites in the past two years.
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