Local sources in Khas Uruzgan district of Uruzgan province have confirmed that a 27-year-old Hazara man was killed in the district centre.
Speaking to Kabul Now, the sources identified the victim as Abdul Azim, son of Ghulam Sakhi, a resident of the “Saidan” area of Khas Uruzgan. They said he was a farmer and the father of two children.
A source, who requested anonymity, said Abdul Azim was stabbed to death by three Pashtun men at around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday (December 7) just 200 meters from the Taliban’s district police headquarters, outside the gate of his home.
According to the source, the attackers first knocked on Abdul Azim’s door, and when he stepped outside, they assaulted him with knives. “They knocked on the door saying they needed him. When he came out, they attacked him with knives and killed him,” the source said. The victim had eight stab wounds, the source added.
A relative of the victim, when asked about the motive, said: “The motive is the insistence that Hazaras should not live in Uruzgan, especially in Saidan.”
Sources say Taliban local officials have detained two people in connection with the killing, but they are pressuring Abdul Azim’s family to grant consent, claiming “the murder was not intentional.”
According to sources, two years ago, Abdul Rahim—Abdul Azim’s brother—was also killed inside his shop in Khas Uruzgan district.
One source noted that in 2010, two sons of Abdul Azim’s uncle were beheaded along with eight other Hazaras in Baghchar Pass, Uruzgan.
Sources say this family is the only remaining Hazara family in the Saidan area of Khas Uruzgan; other families have been forced to flee due to ongoing violence.
Since the Taliban returned to power, numerous incidents described as “serial killings” of residents of Hazara-populated areas of Khas Uruzgan have been reported. According to available figures, at least 22 residents of the district have been killed during this period.
In addition, villagers in different parts of the district have repeatedly reported the cutting down of their trees, burning of harvests, and destruction of property by Pashtun individuals.
The violence is widely attributed to ethnic tensions. Hazara residents of Khas Uruzgan say they are facing increasing pressure and fear they may be subjected to forced displacement.
