KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Attacks by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), the regional affiliate of ISIS, on Hazara and Shia populations in Afghanistan may constitute “genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity” under international law, the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO) said in a new report.
The investigative report, titled “International Crimes of ISKP in Afghanistan 2016-2024” and released on Tuesday, documents a series of attacks targeting Hazaras and Shia communities in Afghanistan since 2016, describing a “terrible toll” of deaths, injuries, and destruction of property.
According to AHRDO, ISKP carried out 21 suicide attacks between 2015 and 2020, and three suicide attacks from 2021 to 2024 specifically targeting Hazaras and Shia. The group also carried out 14 bombings from 2015 to 2020, and 54 bombings from 2021 to 2024.
The report highlights the use of hate speech by ISKP and its media outlets, labeling Shia as “Rafidah” (rejectionist), “Mushrik” (polytheist), and “Kafir” (disbeliever). It cites statements justifying attacks, including a 2024 killing of 14 men in Daikundi and a 2020 bombing at Kabul’s Kawsar-e Danish Educational Center that killed 42 people and injured 79, mostly students.
“Many still question why the Mujahideen of the Islamic State specifically target Shia and Rawafid in their operations…The intensity of our operations has only one reason: our enmity against all disbelievers and apostates… Shia and Rawafid…They are the most extreme apostates in the world,” reads an ISKP statement cited in the report.
AHRDO says that despite the severity of these attacks, sectarian violence by ISKP against Hazaras and Shia remains largely understudied. The organization hopes its report will assist prosecutors, the UN newly approved Independent Mechanism for Afghanistan, governments, and international researchers in examining these crimes and pursuing accountability.
Hazaras, a distinct ethnic group and predominantly Shia, remain among Afghanistan’s most vulnerable communities. They have endured decades of targeted attacks, massacres, discrimination, and marginalization, with little protection or access to justice. Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the situation has worsened, with rising attacks, systematic exclusion from education, employment, and public services, and limited security.
A report by Etilaatroz documented at least 61 targeted attacks on Shia Hazaras over 39 months of Taliban rule, leaving 473 dead and 681 injured, an average of nearly one death every three days and one injury every two days.
In 2022, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Afghanistan, called for investigations into the attacks on Hazara and Sufi communities. He said that these attacks are “becoming increasingly systematic in nature and reflect elements of an organizational policy,” and that they may therefore constitute “crimes against humanity.”
Hazara activists have long urged the United Nations and the international community to formally recognize the violence against Hazaras as “genocide” and to take meaningful steps to prevent further atrocities.
