(AFGHANISTAN) Protests erupt after Taliban kill Afghan-Hazara police

http://observers.france24.com/content/20150709-afghanistan-protests-taliban-hazara-police



Protesters take to the streets of Bamyan, Afghanistan on July 7.

Protests erupt after Taliban kill Afghan-Hazara police
09/07/2015

Protests have sprung up in several cities in Afghanistan after the Taliban slaughtered a group of Afghan policemen from the Hazara minority, who they regularly target. But protesters claim that the Afghan government owns a share of the blame for the killings.

On Sunday, July 6, Taliban fighters attacked a small group of Hazara policemen in the region of Jalrez, located about an hour west of Kabul. At least 22 men were killed. There were only two survivors, who told both Afghan and international media outlets that despite their chief’s non-stop calls for backup during a 24-hour period, none arrived, neither from the police nor the army.

Contacted by France 24, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s defense ministry, General Vaziri, denied these accusations: “All I can say is that same night [Editor’s note: The Taliban’s attack on the police position reportedly started at about 4 pm], we sent two helicopters from the special forces to help them.” He would not speculate as to why local media accounts and eyewitnesses failed to mentioned any helicopters flying overhead. Afghanistan’s president, meanwhile, has called for an investigation into the matter.

In the wake of the policemen’s deaths, protests erupted in several Afghan cities, notably in Persian-speaking regions, including Jalrez, where the attack occurred. Protesters expressed anger at the Taliban, but also at the government, whom many accused of doing nothing to protect the Hazara ethnic minority.

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The last time I checked Americans had boots on the ground. If we are not taking care of problems there, WTF are we doing there?