Mohammad Karim Khalili, leader of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan and former vice president, has publicly accused the Taliban of systematically hiding the killings of Hazaras and Shias in Afghanistan.
Khalili’s statement comes in the wake of a recent attack in Herat that targeted the Hazara community.
In his statement addressing the Herat incident, Khalili highlighted the Taliban's efforts to mask the ongoing violence against Hazaras to maintain their narrative of stability in the country. He strongly condemned these targeted attacks and urged the Taliban not to remain indifferent to such "brutal and targeted killings."
Khalili, with his experience as the former head of the High Peace Council in the previous Afghan government, called upon the Taliban to take decisive and effective actions to safeguard the security of all Afghan people, particularly the Hazaras. He warned of serious consequences if these killings continue to be ignored.
Khalili appealed to the United Nations to form an impartial international team to investigate the massacres targeting the Hazaras. He stressed the urgency for the UN to intervene, urging them to implement measures to halt these attacks and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
The context of Khalili's statement is a recent tragic incident in Jebrael township of Herat city, where unknown assailants killed at least six individuals, including two Shia clerics. This event marks another in a series of violent acts against the Hazara community in Afghanistan.
