What role have foreign powers played in exacerbating ethnic and religious tensions in Afghanistan?

 Foreign powers have played a significant role in exacerbating ethnic and religious tensions in Afghanistan. The US-Taliban peace deal has been criticized for ignoring the role of regional powers and their interests in Afghanistan and how this may impact the US-Taliban peace

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. Iran is one of the regional powers that may exacerbate violence and instability in Afghanistan if the Taliban tries to establish an Islamic Emirate or becomes a dominant force in a national government in Afghanistan and continues to persecute the Shia and Hazara

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 The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021 has been met with international condemnation, and many Western countries have refused to recognize and establish diplomatic ties with the Taliban government, which calls the country the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

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The Taliban has been responsible for extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, torture, and unlawful detention of perceived opponents with impunity, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation

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. The Taliban has also been directly responsible for mass killings of Hazaras that may amount to war crimes

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. The Taliban's all-male, majority Pashtun caretaker Cabinet has signalled that it has no intention of forming an inclusive Government that represents either the ethnic diversity of Afghanistan or women, or of protecting marginalized ethnic and religious groups

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nih

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cfr

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crisisgroup

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amnesty

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acleddata

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un