Amnesty International Accuses Taliban of Murdering Thousands

In a press statement made Thursday, Amnesty International said that Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban regime "deliberately and systematically killed thousands of ethnic civilians" and may have murdered 10 Iranian diplomats and a journalist during their military takeover of the city of Mazar-i-Sharif last month.

Based on testimony from eyewitnesses and victims' families, Amnesty International concluded that victims were killed "deliberately and arbitrarily" and called for the Taliban to order their troops to uphold international humanitarian laws regarding the treatment of civilians in armed conflict. Foreign government were urged to "publicly condemn" the Taliban, to cease granting the Taliban economic or military support, and to pressure Taliban officials into releasing its ethnic prisoners.

Taliban spokesperson Abdul Wakil denied the accusations, which he claimed were politically motivated.

Media Resources: Reuters - September 3, 1998

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