Dr. Mohsen Rouhi-Sefat, a former Iranian diplomat in Afghanistan, writes in an exclusive article for IRAF: On this day, the noble sons of Iran, serving as diplomats, a journalist and government officials, were attacked while carrying out their duties at the political mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif by ruthless individuals affiliated with the Taliban — in violation of all humanitarian, legal and international considerations, as well as diplomatic immunity — and passed away to meet God.
August 8, which corresponds to 17 Mordad in the Iranian calendar, is a reminder of the courage, self-sacrifice and devotion of young men whose hearts were filled with love for their homeland and who, in the course of carrying out their duties and safeguarding national interests, and with sincere devotion to Islam, were martyred in Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998.
On this day, the noble sons of Iran, serving as diplomats, a journalist and government officials, were attacked while carrying out their duties at the political mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif by ruthless individuals affiliated with the Taliban — in violation of all humanitarian, legal and international considerations, as well as diplomatic immunity — and passed away to meet God.
Before the forces entered the city, the attackers, acting collectively and with a specific objective, embarked on a search for the location of the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mazar-i-Sharif according to a pre-designed plan and, without any interaction or dialogue, committed this great crime.
Despite more than two decades having passed since this incident, the memory of the martyred diplomats and government officials of our country will never be erased from the historical memory of the Iranian people and the free people of the world, and responsibility for this tragedy still rests on the shoulders of its direct and indirect perpetrators among the attackers.
According to reports by journalists, on the day after the attack, the Taliban killed a large number of citizens, including some Shia residents. Nevertheless, years after those bitter events, which left many families mourning, there remains hope that, through the wisdom of Afghanistan’s current leaders, war, conflict and discrimination in the country will come to an end, the rights of all citizens regardless of ethnic, linguistic and religious differences will be respected, repression and forced migration in some areas will cease, and women will be given the opportunity to pursue education as an inherent right.
Finally, while extending congratulations on Journalists’ Day, we honor the memory of martyr Saremi, a journalist with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), as well as the martyred diplomats and government officials: Nasser Rigi, Mohammad-Nasser Nasseri, Nourullah Norouzi, Rashid Pariav Fallah, Karim Heydarian, Mohammad-Ali Ghiyasi, Heydar-Ali Bagheri and Majid Nouri Niaraki.
