US Officials to Visit Pakistan for Talks on Afghan Immigrants and Taliban Relations

Notably, the meeting saw the presence of representatives from Western nations, including the United States, Great Britain, Austria, Germany, Spain, and Norway, alongside Taliban opponents.

A key session of the day, titled "The Ways Ahead - Expanding and Strengthening Understanding and Cooperation among Democratic Forces," was scheduled for the morning. This panel invited all Vienna meeting participants to engage in critical discussions.

A significant agenda item was the subsequent panel set for 11:15 am, focusing on completing the development of a "roadmap."

Fawzia Kofi, a former Afghan Parliament member in attendance, conveyed to Afghanistan International their commitment to formulating a roadmap aimed at uniting political and civil groups against the Taliban.

The day was set to conclude with a final panel dedicated to the completion of the Vienna meeting's concluding declaration. Topics of discussion included envisioning the future, rallying democratic forces, and finalising the roadmap.

The meeting's first day was marked by critical evaluations of Taliban policies and calls for increased solidarity among anti-Taliban political groups. The Vienna meeting is slated to conclude on Tuesday.

The organisation's findings reveal that a total of 122 prisoners of various ethnic groups faced execution in Iran during the last month. The report detailed that the executed included 23 Baloch, 19 Kurds, 8 Turks, 5 Lors and Bakhtiaris, 5 Gilaks, in addition to the aforementioned Afghans.

Hengaw did not provide specific charges for the executed Afghan prisoners but noted that a significant number of the executions were linked to drug-related offences.

The report further highlighted the alarming frequency of these executions, averaging to about 9 every two days in the past month in Iran.

This decision reflects the community's deep-seated frustration and grief.

On Saturday, following the attack, Noor Ahmad Islamjar, the Taliban-appointed governor of Herat, met with local representatives, urging them to proceed with the burials. During this meeting, the representatives voiced strong demands for the security of Hazaras and Shias in the city and called for the arrest and punishment of those responsible for the recent spate of assassinations of Hazara and Shia clerics in Herat.

Governor Islamjar attributed Friday's attack to what he termed "enemies" of Afghanistan, suggesting their intent to sow discord amongst Afghan communities. Despite these assertions, the grief and unrest within the Hazara community continue to resonate strongly.

Local sources from Herat disclosed that, following discussions with the Taliban governor, representatives from Jebrael town decided to bury the deceased. A funeral for the victims has been scheduled for Sunday in Herat city.

The attack, which claimed the lives of at least six individuals, including two Shia clerics, occurred on Friday afternoon in an area between Shuhada town and Kore Melli towns of Jebrael. The incident has not only caused mourning but also sparked significant reactions from political leaders across Afghanistan, many of whom view it as part of a broader, ongoing genocide against the Hazara community in the country.

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.

This violent incident tragically claimed the lives of at least six members of the Hazara community, including two Shia clerics, in the Jebrael area of Herat.

In a statement released on social media platform X on Saturday, the embassy vehemently condemned the attack, highlighting the loss of six individuals, amongst them two respected Shia clerics. The attack occurred on Friday afternoon in the Jebrael district, specifically between Shuhada town and Kore Melli town.

Sources indicate that the victims were returning from a memorial service for a Hazara cleric when they were ambushed and fatally shot in the Khoshroud area, located in the Injil district of Herat province. The aftermath of this tragedy saw Herat's residents protesting vehemently, carrying the deceased's bodies through the streets whilst raising their voices against the continued targeting of Hazaras.

This recent incident adds to a worrying trend in Herat, where four Hazara clerics have fallen victim to armed attacks over the past six weeks. The Taliban's Ministry of Interior has publicly decried the civilian deaths in Herat, labelling the event a "terrorist" act and acknowledging the loss of six "innocent compatriots." However, there has been no official statement regarding an investigation or efforts to apprehend those responsible.

In a strong response, the Afghanistan Freedom Front condemned the Herat killings as an ongoing assault on the Hazara and Shia populations in Afghanistan. The group has appealed to the international community, including the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, urging immediate intervention to halt these crimes against humanity and prevent further acts of genocide in the country.