Afghanistan's first female mayorsays TALIBAN IS WAGING 'GENOCIDE' AGAINST MINORITY GROUP BYRYANFOLEY ▶ AzraJafari, the former mayor of Nili in Afghanistan's Daykundi Province, is calling on the United States government to classify the Taliban's persecution against the Hazara ethnic group as a form of genocide. | US Army Staff Sgt. Nazly Confesor/ Public Domain womanwhoservedas mayorinAfghanistanin2008andheld group. thefirstfemalemayorin thepostuntil2014.Shehasbecomea HazarasareapredominantlyShia A Afghanistanisurging vocaladvocateforwomen'srightsand Muslimethnicgroupofover3.5 theU.S.governmentto astaunchcriticofthecontrolthe millionthatprimarilyresideincentral declaretheTaliban's TalibanhastakensincetheU.S. Afghanistan.Theethnicgrouphas treatmentoftheHazaraethnicgroupa military'swithdrawalfromthecountry longbeensubjecttoviolenceatthe genocideasthefirstanniversaryofthe lastyear. handofstateactorsandmilitant withdrawalofU.S.troopsfromthe InaninterviewwithTheChristian groupsandisconsideredbysometobe CentralAsiancountryapproaches. Post,shesharedconcernsabout historicallythemostdiscriminated AzraJafari,whoformerlyservedas religiousfreedominAfghanistanand againstethnicgroupinAfghanistan. mayorofNiliinAfghanistan's thethreatstowomenandminoritiesin Asviolenceagainsttheminority Daykundiprovince,wasoneofseveral thecountry. grouphasescalatedinthepastyear, speakerstoaddresstheannual NearlyayearaftertheTalibantook shesaid:"theTaliban[is]tryingtoban InternationalReligiousFreedom controlofAfghanistan,Jafarisaysthe theinternet"topreventjournalists SummitinWashington,D.C. situationonthegroundhasturned fromcoveringincidentsinthecountry. Jafariwasappointedthefirstfemale bleakforwomenandherHazaraethnic JafaristatedthattheTalibanhas 34 VOLIII AUG2022