Hazara genocide
| Hazara genocide | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hazarajat, Afghanistan |
| Date | 1888–1893 |
| Target | Hazaras |
Attack type | Ethnic cleansing, Genocide, slavery |
| Victims | Estimates: |
| Perpetrators | Afghan army under Abdur Rahman joined by Sunni volunteers from various tribes |
| Motive | Ethnic prejudice, Anti-Shi'ism, and Colonization |
The Hazara genocide occurred in the aftermath of the Second Anglo-Afghan War when the Afghanistan Emirate signed the Treaty of Gandamak. Afghan Amir Abdur Rahman set out to bring the Turkistan, Hazaristan, and Kafiristan regions under his control. He launched several campaigns in the Hazarajat due to resistance to oppression from the Hazaras, culminating in the Battle of Uruzgan and he conducted a widespread genocidal campaign against its population.
The Hazaras are a Shia Muslim minority in predominantly Sunni Muslim countries. This religious difference has contributed to their historic marginalization and made them targets of sectarian violence. Over 60 percent of the total Hazara population was massacred with some being displaced and exiled by migrating to Quetta (Pakistan) and Mashhad (Iran) and other adjoining areas. The Hazara land was distributed among loyalist villagers of nearby non-Hazaras. The repression after the uprising has been called the most significant case of genocide or ethnic cleansing in the history of modern Afghanistan.