Destruction of Uzbek Cemeteries by Taliban-Backed Pashtuns in Faryab.
Local sources in Faryab province report that in Dawlatabad district, cemeteries belonging to the Uzbek community have been destroyed, and the remains of several deceased individuals have been exhumed from their graves.
According to the sources, since the Taliban came to power, Pashtuns in the area—allegedly with Taliban support—have over the past four years seized large areas of land, homes, and grazing fields belonging to many Uzbek families. As a result, hundreds of Uzbek families have been forced to leave their villages and ancestral homes.
Videos recently shared by local residents show the destruction of centuries-old Uzbek graves, with remains removed from the cemetery sites.
Naqib Fayiq, former governor of Faryab, expressed concern over these incidents, saying:
“Pashtuns in this region lived alongside the Uzbek people for many years in brotherhood and coexistence. However, with the arrival of the Taliban and reliance on their support, that shared past has been disregarded, and actions are now being taken that undermine human dignity and shared values.”
Fayiq emphasized that the destruction of cemeteries does not erase the historical and cultural roots of any community, warning that such acts could become a dangerous pattern of ethnic retaliation—one that, he said, “will benefit neither the present nor the future of any ethnic group in Afghanistan.”
So far, local Taliban authorities in Faryab have not issued any official response to the reports.
