Taliban openly threatens Afghanistan's minority Hazaras; group 'Won't let any Shia live'

As the USA's August 31 evacuation deadline approaches, the Taliban has started to unfurl its oppressive and terroristic means of ruling the war-torn nation of Afghanistan. Ever since the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government and the return of the Taliban, the terrorist groups have been busy trying to convince the international community that they would not rule the country with tyranny. However, from time to time, Taliban's own atrocities expose themselves. Now, a video of a Taliban group has gone viral in which the terrorist organisation can be seen threatening Afghanistan's minority Hazara community with massacre. 

As per the video shared on Twitter, a group of Taliban leaders can be seen threatening Afghanistan's Hazara community. In the video shared, the Taliban group is on stand-by waiting for its leaders to massacre the Hazara community. "I swear to God that we will not let any Hazara live or remain alive in Afghanistan. I will not let any Shia Muslim alive," says the terrorist. 

In 1998 when the Taliban last took over Afghanistan, its Governor Mulla Manon Nazi conducted a massive killing of Hazaras after capturing Mazar-i-Sharif. The UN also declared the barbaric incident as genocide, and no element of the human rights watch or journalist was allowed to enter the region. 

Hazara leader calls on Taliban to set up an inclusive government

Notably, Afghanistan’s Hazaras, a Shiite minority, are calling on the Taliban to set up an inclusive government in which all ethnic groups would have a voice.

As per AP, Shiite leader Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi said the country’s Shiite clerics have issued a declaration stating that a future parliament in Afghanistan should include members of different sects of Islam. He asked for freedom of religion under an Islamic government and asked that there be separate courts for Shiites that follow Jafari jurisprudence, “in accordance with the provisions of law.”

The Shiite concerns come as the Taliban negotiating team in Qatar has been was insisting on implementation of Islamic law, and specifically Hanafi laws which are a major school of Sunni jurisprudence, in the laws and the constitution of Afghanistan. The Taliban are a Sunni militant group.

Who are Hazaras? 

The Hazaras are believed to be descendants of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol empire. This ethnic group is mainly concentrated in the mountainous central region of Afghanistan known as Hazarajat. The Taliban is opposed to this community as it comprises mostly Shia Muslims whereas the Taliban is a group of Sunni Muslims. It has been found that the Taliban frequently attacks Shia minorities in Afghanistan. 

(Image Credits: @PanjshirProvin1/Twitter/AP)