Statement of the Diplomatic Missions of the I. R. of Afghanistan on Recent Attacks on schools and places of worship of Shia Communities

Canberra, 22 April 2022 – We condemn in the strongest possible terms the spate of heinous attacks targeting institutions of education and mosques in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif and Kundoz – areas mostly populated by our Shia and Hazara compatriots.

Students were coming out of their morning classes when several explosions hit Abdul Rahim Shahid High School and the Mumtaz Education Centre in Dasht-e-Barchi, a western suburb of Kabul. Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, universities and mosques, are a despicable violation of the international humanitarian law.   

Yesterday, During the holy month of Ramadan, an explosion at a Shi’ite mosque in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, killed tens of our innocent people, and a separate blast in Kunduz took away another 11 innocent lives.  These egregious crimes are not just against Shia and Hazaras; they are against all of us, the people of Afghanistan. 

After their military takeover, the Taliban promised security above all else, which proved to be nothing but an empty talk from a group which still keeps suicide squads in its ranks. The Taliban have demonstrated, time and again, that their promises cannot be trusted. They failed to reopen high schools for girls against their promise to both the Afghan people and the international community.

We call on the UN, OHCHR, the ICC and relevant mandate holders to authorize an immediate investigation into these crimes, with a purpose to identify and bring to justice all those responsible. We urge the international community to deploy all necessary instruments of prevention and protection in the wake of these attacks, which represent a deliberate pattern of violation of international humanitarian law.

We, members of the Diplomatic Missions of the of Afghanistan, sincerely extend our deepest condolences to all victims of these barbaric and inhumane attacks and to their families. We stand with all the people of Afghanistan, with our celebrated religious and ethnic diversity, in working for a lasting peaceful, representative governance and prosperity in Afghanistan, a shared home to all its citizens.