Beheading of Young Girl Sparks Massive Protests in Afghanistan

Large groups of demonstrators took to the streets in Kabul Afghanistan after four members of an ethnic minority—including a 9-year-old—were beheaded in a small town. As the Washington Post notes, though the Afghan government have said they are skeptical of the connection, local officials say that the abduction and murders of the members of the Hazara community were carried out by radical Islamic militants linked to ISIS. The exact motive for the murders remains unclear, though The Post notes that violence against Hazara civilians “is a long-running crisis.” Locals are angry the government has been unable to stop the violence, and also chanted anti-Taliban slogans during the protests. The U.N.’s top official in the country told the media, “The deliberate murder of civilian hostages, including women and children, is particularly abhorrent. These senseless murders may amount to war crimes, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.”