In one of the biggest demonstrations in Kabul in years, thousands of protesters marched through the Afghan capital to demand government action after the killers dumped the partially beheaded bodies of their victims.
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The four men, two women and a child had been kidnapped up to six months ago, officials said.
Before protesters marched the bodies to the presidential palace, they took them to the office of the governor of Ghazni province, where the victims were from. “This is our right to feel safe”.
A statement issued Wednesday quoted UNAMA chief Nicholas Haysom as saying that the deliberate murder of civilian hostages, including women and children, is particularly abhorrent.
“[The killing] sends a very unsafe message to the people of Afghanistan, its government and its worldwide allies”, Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaker of the lower house of parliament, told Reuters. One protestor, Maryam Jamal, had this to say. “Our voice wants justice, brotherhood, sanctity of life, peace and equality”.
“There are thousands of people here and the number is expected to increase”. He said the massacre was part of a game being played against the people of Afghanistan. This protest is historic and we are adamant to not back off until something is done about this. “So far people are protesting peacefully”.
“This is a protest to demand justice for the victims who were so mercilessly murdered, we demand justice for people who are brutally killed by terrorists everyday”, protester Mohammad Hadi said.
He noted that recently, militants from the Sunni extremist Islamic State group have also surfaced there.
In addition to expressing their hatred against Taliban and Daesh, the Islamic State (IS), by chanting slogans “Death to Taliban”, “Death to Daesh”, the protestors also flayed the government for what they termed failure to protect civilians. The green cloth covering the coffins symbolized that they were Shia. “Are they not human beings?” “What was their fault?”
After gathering in the west of Kabul, the demonstrators walked about 10 kilometres (6 miles) through the rain to the gate of the Presidential Palace, where organizers said they meant to stage an open-ended sit-in.
The Hazara have long suffered oppression and persecution in Afghanistan.
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In his speech, President Ghani said the militants have been unsuccessful in their attempts to “take over a few parts of our country so that they can turn them into a barbaric and horror nest”.
