Serial murders in the Shiite area of Uruzgan Province since return of Taliban in August 2021

In recent months, numerous cases of killing, cutting down trees, setting fire to houses and destroying farms of Hazara Shiites have been reported in Uruzgan Province of Afghanistan. 

Shiite Hazaras in the "Joye Naw" neighborhood of the "Uruzgan Khas" district of Uruzgan Province have witnessed "targeted" murders of members of their community in recent months.

Background information on Uruzgan Province:

In 2020, one year before the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the total population of the Uruzgan Province was about 436,079 and had an estimated 45,000 households, each with about six members on average, according to Program for Conflict and Culture Studies of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). A large portion of Uruzgan's settled population were ethnic Pashtuns and ethnic Hazaras according to the same studies. But after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the number of Hazara population in that province has declined significantly.

A source said in an interview with the Daily Information newspaper that the victim's name, who was a farmer, was "Haji Bostan".

According to the source, this man was killed on Friday, 18th of August 2023, while performing ritual prayer ablution near his house. According to witnesses he was shot dead by two people riding a motorcycle. The identity of the assailants is not clear, but the source added that "those who chopped down the trees also committed this murder".

Furthermore, the source disclosed that "Haji Bostan" is the 14th person who was killed in the "Joye Naw" region since the rule of the Taliban over Afghanistan has begun. This source says that the residents of this area "are said to be killing thousands". Another local source considers the serial killings in this area to be the result of ethnic tension between Hazaras and Pashtuns. The local Taliban officials in Uruzgan have not given any statement about this incident so far.

About a week ago, sources reported that Pashtun criminals cut dozens of fruit-bearing trees in Joye Naw area. According to a source, the perpetrators of cutting these trees are people from the "Kotezai" tribe of the Pashtun people who live in the vicinity of the Joye Naw area.

Sources say that the theft, looting and destruction of the property of the residents of Joye Naw area has reached its peak and they are facing forced migration. According to the sources, after the rule of the Taliban, 20 houses of the residents of Joye Naw have been destroyed or set on fire. Also, this year, three cars belonging to the residents of this area have been set on fire.

Sources had previously informed about the murder of 13 people from the residents of Joye Naw area, and with today's murder, their number has reached 14. According to the list provided by the sources to the newspaper, Haji Bostan, Mohammad Hashem son of Seyed Youssef, Dr. Amiri, Karbalai Ansari, Mohammad Hossein son of Swati, Mohammad Taghi Rouhani, Musa and Mohammad Ali are among the people who were killed.

Joye Naw area is located in the center of Khas Uruzgan district of Uruzgan province. Sources say that before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, about 1,500 Hazara families lived in this area, but now the number of Hazara families has decreased to about 300.

UPDATE: Burial of Hazara father and son who were "beheaded" in Uruzgan Khas district on 20 September 2023

Local sources in Uruzgan province say that a father and son were beheaded by unknown people in Uruzgan Khas district. According to those sources, Haji Hassan and his son Ali Khan were brutally beheaded on Wednesday (20 September 2023) and their bodies were buried on Thursday. The sources added that the killed people were of Hazara ethnic background and residents of Joynu area of Uruzgan district. According to sources, they were "beheaded with a knife" in Tangi Sabzchob area of this district when they were taking dried fruit to the market.

Burial of killed Hazara in Uruzgan Province

 

According to eyewitnesses, the bodies of these two people were bloody and their bodies were "torn with a knife". Residents of this area say that after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, at least 17 residents of this area, who are all Hazaras and ordinary citizens, were "systematically" killed.

 

These sources said that a number of Taliban people attended the burial ceremony of these two people and asked the local people to cooperate in finding the perpetrators of this murder. Local Taliban officials have told the residents of Uruzgan Khas district that the group cannot assign a soldier to every house. However, the Taliban authorities have not commented on the killing of the father and son and other claims made by the residents of this district.

Local sources have said that a number of people with a clear identity have been publicly threatening Hazara Shiites in the "Joye Naw" area with forced migration for some time. They said that they cannot name these people "out of fear" of the Taliban, because "they think that the Taliban are also involved in these threats".

 

In recent weeks, pictures have been published from Uruzgan Khas district, which show armed people cutting down the fruit trees of the residents of this area. Human rights organizations say that the Hazara community is heavily targeted for violence under the Taliban's rule because of their ethnicity and also because they are mainly Shiites. Amnesty International has repeatedly reported "systematic attacks" on Hazaras in Afghanistan and said these attacks are crimes against humanity.

Original sources: 

قتل‌های زنجیره‌ای در منطقه شیعه‌نشین ارزگان

خاکسپاری پدر و پسر هزاره «سربریده» شده در ولسوالی ارزگان خاص

تداوم فشار طالبان بر شیعیان هزاره افغانستان