On May 27, 1997, some 3,000 captured Taliban soldiers are summarily executed in and around the northern city of Mazar-i Sharif by two largely ethnic Hazara United Front factions: Junbish forces under the command of General Abdul Malik Pahlawan and Hizb-i Wahdat forces led by General Muhaqqiq.

The killings follow Pahlawan's withdrawal from a brief alliance with the Taliban, and the capture of the Taliban forces that were trapped in the city.

Some of the Taliban troops are taken to the desert and shot, while others are thrown down wells and then blown up with grenades.

(Source: Human Rights Watch World Report 2001: Asia Overview: Fueling Afghanistan's War Press Backgrounder)