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| Afghans carry a banner bearing a picture of one of the seven from the Hazara minority, beheaded allegedly by a group claiming affiliation to Islamic State, during a protest in Herat, Afghanistan, earlier this month. A group of Hazaras was kidnapped in Zabul province on Saturday, the same area where the beheadings took place. PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY |
Fears of ethnic strife were rekindled in Afghanistan on Sunday, the day after a group of ethnic minority Hazaras were kidnapped while traveling a major highway in the latest attack targeting the Shiite Muslim group.The attacks have centered on the southern Afghan highway from which the group of Hazaras, which local officials said numbered between 14 and 30, were taken at gunpoint on Saturday.At least five other Hazaras traveling on a bus bound for Kabul were saved by other travelers who helped hide their identities, after it was stopped by militants armed with AK-47s and machine guns, said a local activist, who spoke to witnesses.Until now, majority Sunni-Muslim Afghanistan has been largely spared the sectarian tension that has plagued a number of other Muslim countries.
But a string of attacks targeting Hazaras over the past year—including some linked to Sunni extremist group Islamic State—are fueling concerns that the group, which suffered under the Taliban, is again being targeted.
“These kidnappings have been occurring for months. This is now a national problem for Afghanistan,” said Zaki Daryabi, a Hazara activist, who helped organize the large protest that took place after the decapitated bodies of his compatriots were discovered earlier this month.Afghanistan has no reliable population data, but Hazaras are considered the country’s third-largest ethnic group and the only one that is predominantly Shiite.“Hazaras are very concerned about these waves of kidnappings. They don’t feel safe,” said Mohammad Ali Alizada, a Hazara lawmaker from Ghazni. “We have raised the issue with central government.”
Local officials blamed the Taliban for Saturday’s kidnappings and said a rescue operation was under way.
“We are aware of the hostage situation and we are gathering information,” said Sayed Zafar Hashemi, a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. “Our forces are doing everything to ensure the safety and security of all citizens.”
Saturday’s kidnappings come weeks after the Hazaras were rattled when seven of their members, including a child, were found decapitated in southern Zabul province, where many in the group live.
The beheaded bodies were delivered to provincial elders, sparking a large protest in Kabul that was led by Hazara activists and widely supported by a wider Afghan population frustrated with the steep decline in security since foreign forces mostly withdrew from the country last year.Uzbek militants, a number of whom are allied to the Islamic State, are also active in Zabul. They have previously targeted Hazaras, including the seven who were decapitated earlier this month.The Taliban follow Sunni Islam and someconsider Shiites to have rejected the Muslim faith and target them for their religious beliefs. The militant group, which is fighting to overthrow the government in Kabul, denied any involvement in Saturday’s attacks and officially says it respects ethnic groups.
“Our Mujahideen are not involved in the kidnapping,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahideen said Sunday. “We are investigating the incident and trying to rescue the abductees.”
In recent months, rival Taliban groups have been battling each other in lawless parts of Zabul province, where many of the attacks have taken place, adding to security concerns.Militants loyal to the group’s recently-appointed head, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, are fighting others who reject his leadership.Afghan forces have struggled to hold ground in the country since the withdrawal of most foreign forces in 2014. A small U.S.-led coalition remains to support its Afghan counterparts.
In September, Kunduz became the first major city to briefly fall under Taliban control since the start of the war, collapsing in hours and almost without a fight.
A report released by a government-appointed commission on Saturday said corruption and poor leadership among Afghanistan’s government and military institutions were to blame, and that U.S. airstrikes had prevented a worse disaster.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/afghanistan-kidnappings-rekindle-ethnic-fears-1448206499
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