Taliban wooing Hazara tribes

The Hazara tribes were the target of fierce attacks by the Taliban movement.

This is why this minority has always feared the movement. These fears increased after the Taliban took control of the country.

The Taliban is well aware of the tribes' fears from it.

During the past hours, Mawlawi Mahdi, who belongs to that minority, was appointed as Director of Intelligence in Bamiyan Province.

This came as a kind of reconciliation with the minority that hates and is afraid of the Taliban's rule.

During his last trip to Kabul, Mahdi stayed at a large villa with a garden, where the top commanders of the Taliban usually stay.

Not only did the Taliban appoint Mahdi, it also created informal Shiite courts, for the first time, to attract more Hazara citizens.

Rugged highland tribes

The Hazaras are located in the rugged highlands of central Afghanistan. They are supposed to belong to the dynasty of Genghis Khan, the Mongol invader who took control of Afghanistan in the 13th century, according to a report by Foreign Policy magazine.

Hazaras make up between 10 and 20% of Afghanistan's population of 38 million. They have been, however, marginalized at the hands of the Taliban because of their Shiite beliefs.

Some estimates mentioned by the magazine indicate that nearly half of the Hazaras were wiped out at the end of the 19th century during terrorist attacks targeting them.

Over the past centuries, this minority was subjected to slavery, religious and economic persecution, in addition to deportation.