Following the terrorist attacks at a Shia Mosque during Friday prayers in Kunduz , Al-khoei Foundation, a leading Shia organisation based in London issued a statement and said “The Al-Khoei Foundation is devastated at the loss of lives of Shia worshippers in a suicide bombing at a Shia Mosque during Friday prayers in Kunduz, Afghanistan, on 8th October 2021, which killed at least 50 Shia Muslims and injured more than 100 people.

We share the pain and send our condolences to the bereaved families. The attack is yet another reminder that Shi’a Muslims in Afghanistan are a highly vulnerable group at risk of persecution and terrorist targets”.

According to Shafaqna, the statesmen reads: “ISIS still poses serious threats to the region particularly religious minorities in the Af-Pak region. Its local chapter IS-K has conducted deadly attacks against Shia Hazaras, most notably the horrific attack in Dashte Barchi, Kabul, which killed 24 people including pregnant women and children.  The group also attacked earlier this year in May killing 85 schoolgirls in the same vicinity.

We also remind that the Taliban, who claim to have changed and vow to respect minority rights, are also involved in war crimes against the Shi’a Hazara community. Amnesty International has revealed that the Taliban has executed at least 22 Shia Hazaras in two different incidents since July 2021.  Although there were Muharram processions this year, our interlocutors and community members informed that they continued to face harassment and intimidation from the Taliban such as, but not limited to, in Daikundi, Bamyan and Mazar-i-Sharif during the holy Month of Muharram.

We stress that the international community must not abandon Afghanistan and its religious and ethnic minorities who are feeling under siege, vulnerable to further persecution, act of violence and terror. Shia Muslims, specifically Shia Hazaras, have a long history of persecution and have been facing war crimes committed by the non-state, as well as state, actors dating back to the 1890s. Therefore, the international community should not turn blind eye to the heinous crimes committed against the Shias of Afghanistan. The evacuation process should continue and those who are at high risks, such as the members of civil society, religious minorities particularly Shias, Sikhs and people of no faith, should be prioritised.

We call on the Taliban government, who had committed to providing security and safety to religious minorities, to identify the perpetrators of this cowardly explosion and to expose their barbaric acts. They must ensure that these attacks should not repeat, and religious and ethnic minorities should have the freedom to practice their faith freely.

We also welcome the appointment of a new special rapporteur on Afghanistan to probe violations carried out by the Taliban and other groups and extend our support to assist in monitoring, through our network and work, the situation of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Afghanistan”.

Source: en.shafaqna.com