Siege of Hazarajat

The Siege of Hazarajat began in November 1996 and ended in May–July 1996 by the moto of ethnic cleansing of the Hazaras[2] it ended by anti-Taliban uprisings the uprisings were inspired by the revolt in Mazar-i-Sharif In ten weeks of fighting between May and July, the Taliban suffered over 3,000 killed or wounded, and some 3,600 became POWs, while 250 Pakistanis had been killed and 550 captured. The morale of the Taliban plummeted after early defeats in the Battles of Mazar-i-Sharif (1997–1998), as they sought to replenish their losses by recruiting from the madrasas in Pakistan and Afghanistan.[3]

Siege of Hazarajat
Part of Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)
DateNovember 1996 - July 1997
Location
Hazarajat
Result

Hezbe Wahdat Victory

  • Siege lifted
Belligerents
Afghanistan Taliban
Supported by:
 Pakistan		 Hezbe Wahdat
Commanders and leaders
Afghanistan Jalaludin Haqqani Karim Khalili
Mohammad Mohaqiq
Shafi Hazara
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
3,000 killed or wounded
3,600 POWs
250 Pakistani militants killed
550 Pakistani militants captured[1]		 Unknown
Civilian casualties:
7,000 wounded[1]
(both sides)

Background

The Taliban laid a siege on Hazarajat hoping to capture the region and establish their rule there. Thousands of Hazaras were starving in Hazarajat in 1997,[4] but fighting was still going on, and after the victory of the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif, the Hazara soldiers of Hezbe Wahdat were motivated to lift off the siege of their homeland.[3] Under the command of Karim Khalili, the Hazaras successfully pushed back the Taliban and lifted off the siege of Hazarajat.[3]

Aftermath

After being defeated in 1997, the Taliban laid another siege on Hazarajat, during this siege thousands of Hazaras starved.[5][6] The Taliban allowed some food aid to enter Hazarajat on 8 May 1998 in exchange of food supply going to Ghorband District which was the front line of the Taliban during the fighting.[7]

References
  1. Rashid 2000, p. 59.
  2. "We Are Hazara, Say Our Name". www.thegazelle.org. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  3. Rashid, Ahmed (2000). Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia. USA: Yale University Press. p. 59. ISBN 9780300083408.
  4. Filkins, Dexter (1998-05-08). "Afghans Starve in Siege From Within". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  5. "Hazara Women in Afghanistan: Fears for the Future". LevantX. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  6. Askary, Sajjad. "Why the Hazara people fear genocide in Afghanistan". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  7. "Afghanistan Weekly Update No. 263 - Afghanistan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 1998-05-12. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
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