As the Taliban marched to Kabul in Afghanistan, stamping their authority on the provinces they captured, one of their first acts was to blow up the statue of Shiite militia leader Abdul Ali Mazari in central Bamiyan province. The militant outfit, which has said it will forgive those who fought against them and grant women full rights under Islamic law, had killed Mazari in 1995

Confirming the demolition of Mazari’s statue, human rights activist Saleem Javed tweeted, “So Taliban have blown up slain Hazara leader Abdul Ali Mazari’s statue in Bamiyan. Last time they executed him, blew up the giant statues of Buddha and all historical and archaeological sites. Too much of ‘general amnesty’.” 

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Who was Abdul Ali Mazari? 

Abdul Ali Mazari was a militia leader who fought the Taliban in the 90s and was killed by them in 1995, when the militant outfit seized power in Afghanistan. Mazari was a leader, protector and champion of Afghanistan’s ethnic Hazara minority. They are Shiites who faced persecution under the Sunni Taliban’s earlier rule.

Also read: What Taliban’s return to power means for Afghan women

Why do the Taliban hate Mazari?

Mazari was one of the few tribal leaders who fought the Taliban and did not cede ground. His followers engaged in violent street battles with Sunni militia and also took some sunni leaders as prisoners.

How was Mazari killed?

Mazari was killed by deception in March 1995. He and some of his colleagues were duped into meeting Taliban leader Mullah Burjan for peace talks. He was then abducted, tortured and later killed by the Taliban and his body flung from a helicopter in Ghazni.

The Taliban version of his death was that Mazari was killed because he attacked them while being taken to Kandahar. He was buried in Mazar-e-Sharif, which was then controlled by Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum.

In 2016, he was posthumously given the title ‘Martyr Of National Unity’.

The Taliban stormed to power in Afghanistan, completing their takeover of the country on August 15. Though the militant group has promised peace security, saying they will forgive those who fought against them and grant women full rights under Islamic law, Afghans and the world in general are skeptical of the group. More so, looking at their past history, when they blew up 1,500-yaer-old statues of Buddha carved into mountains at Bamiyan, citing ban on idolatry in Islam. Their harsh interpretation of Islamic law in the past tenure at the helm of affairs is still fresh on everyone’s minds