An affiliate of the ISIL (ISIS) armed group in Afghanistan has targeted Hazaras—a predominantly Shia Muslim ethnic group—and other minorities, in a wave of attacks at mosques, schools, and workplaces, undermining the Taliban’s promise of greater security, the Human Rights Watch said in a report on Tuesday.
The Islamic State of Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K) has repeatedly attacked religious minorities, with the Taliban authorities doing little to protect them from attacks or to provide necessary medical care and other assistance to victims and their families, the group said in a scathing report.
“Since the Taliban takeover, ISIS-linked fighters have committed numerous brutal attacks against members of the Hazara community as they go to school, to work, or to pray, without a serious response from the Taliban authorities,” said Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at HRW.
According to the group, the attacks, beyond their immediate devastation, take a terrible long-term toll on the survivors and families of victims, depriving them of breadwinners, often imposing severe medical burdens, and restricting their access to daily life.
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