Taliban forces destroyed the statue of former Hazara leader Abdul Ali Mazari in the western part of Kabul on Saturday by striking the face with nails and drills before covering it with plaster, according to witnesses.
The statue remained intact under the former government in Mazari Square, named after the slain leader, situated in the Pul-e-Sokhta intersection, mainly populated by ethnic Hazaras.
Pictures of the statue being shared on social media show some parts of the statue damaged and the face deformed.
Residents report Taliban members are roaming in the area in a bid to avert people from taking photos of the damaged figure.
Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the matter.
The move has triggered outrage.
The exiled Afghanistan Justice and Freedom Party led by former vice-president of Afghanistan, Sarwar Danesh, called it a “disrespectful” move that shows the Taliban “want to remove the legacy of Abdul Ali Mazari.”
“The Taliban are fearful of the leading figures in the country’s history, such as Mazari,” the party said in a statement. “The foundations of their brutal rule are shaky and won’t last long.”
Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, called it an “act of religious and ethnic intimidation,” saying Mazari is “more of an ideal than a statue and therefore his legacy is eternal.”
The former leader of the Hezb-e-Wahdat party, Abdul Ali Mazari is regarded as a champion of ethnic Hazaras and Shias, who have historically been persecuted and marginalized by the Taliban and other Sunni extremist groups.
He was killed during the Taliban’s first rule in 1995. In 2016, the ousted president Ashraf Ghani gave him the title ‘Martyr Of National Unity’.
The Taliban destroyed Mazari’s statue in central Bamyan and replaced it with a replica of the Koran in November 2021, months after the group retook power.
