Taliban destroy statue of Shia foe from 1990s civil war

The Taliban have blown up the statue of a Shia militia leader who had fought against them during Afghanistan's civil war in the 1990s, according to photos circulating on social media Wednesday. The statue depicted Abdul Ali Mazari, a militia leader killed by the Taliban in 1996, when the Islamic militants seized power from rival warlords. Mazari was a champion of Afghanistan's ethnic Hazara minority, Shia who were persecuted under the Sunni Taliban's earlier rule.

Taliban destroy statue of Shia foe from 1990s civil war
The Taliban have blown up the statue of a Shia militia leader who had fought against them during Afghanistan's civil war in the 1990s, according to photos circulating on social media Wednesday. The statue depicted Abdul Ali Mazari, a militia leader killed by the Taliban in 1996, when the Islamic militants seized power from rival warlords. Mazari was a champion of Afghanistan's ethnic Hazara minority, Shia who were persecuted under the Sunni Taliban's earlier rule.