Afghanistan's Hazara minority increasingly fearful under Taliban
Al-Monitor spoke to members of the long-persecuted Hazara Shiite minority group in Afghanistan as restrictions on women increase and verifiable information becomes scarcer.
KABUL — As the Taliban introduce greater restrictions on women and much of the local media have left or been forced to self-censor in Afghanistan, concerns have grown about the future of the Afghan Shia Hazara minority group despite assurances from the authorities.
While deeply distrustful of the current government’s pledges to protect their long-persecuted community, many Hazaras told Al-Monitor while reporting from the country in late 2022 that their greatest concern for the moment is the future of their daughters and other women — and that it is unclear who is carrying out some of the attacks on them.
Over the past year, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), the branch of the Islamic State operating in Afghanistan, has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks targeting the Taliban and other groups, including one on the Kabul military airport on Jan.1.
BBC Persian reported this week that ISKP carried out at least 260 attacks in several different provinces of Afghanistan over the past year and a half.
