Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party and member of the National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, has accused the Taliban regime of supporting the serial killings of Hazaras and Shias in Herat.
In an interview with Iranian Jamaran Media, Mohaqiq criticised the Taliban for failing to provide security to these communities and suggested their possible involvement in the violence.
Mohaqiq highlighted a book by Noor Mohammad Islamjar, Taliban’s governor for Herat, which labels Shias as a "takfiri sect" and associates them with infidels, exacerbating sectarian tensions. He questioned the Taliban's claim of protecting Shias and Hazaras, pointing out the systematic assassinations of Shia religious scholars without any consequent prosecutions.
The recent attack in the Jebrael area of Herat, which resulted in the death of six individuals including two Shia clerics, was cited as an example of the ongoing violence. The incident sparked protests in Herat, with residents demanding justice for the targeted killings of Hazaras and Shias.
Mohaqiq dismissed the likelihood of other terrorist groups like ISIS, TTP, and Jamaat Ansarullah of Tajikistan, being behind these attacks. He asserted that the current climate in Afghanistan is marked by ethnic and religious discrimination, leaving Shias and Hazaras vulnerable and defenceless.
