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POPSRare Attack on Afghan Shiites Kills Dozens
The faction, which isn't thought to have attacked in Afghanistan before, previously was known for kidnapping two former Pakistani spies and a British journalist in Pakistan's tribal area. The spies, including Col. Imam, known as the godfather of the Taliban, later were killed. Afghanistan's Shiites are mostly members of the Hazara ethnic minority, which suffered brutal discrimination at the hands of the Taliban government that ruled the country before the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. The attacks came as representatives from the United States and some 90 other nations and organizations concluded a meeting in Germany about the transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces, which are due to take full control of the country by 2014. "An attack against Ashoura pilgrims on one of the holiest of days in the Islamic calendar is an attack against Islam itself, and we denounce and condemn these atrocities in the strongest of terms," said Gen. John R. Allen, ...