The choice was straightforward for Hamidullah Asadi, a member of Afghanistan’s minority Hazara community – wait for the next deadly attack or join a growing militia.
After spending months recovering from grave injuries after an ISIL (ISIS) suicide attack, he was ready to fight.
“We were forced to take up arms,” said Asadi, now a spokesman for the Resistance for Justice Movement – a band of Hazara fighters based in the war-torn country’s rugged, snow-capped central highlands.
“Our expectations of those who were supposed to defend us were not met.”
Afghan security forces are struggling to hold off an increasingly powerful Taliban as international troops withdraw from the county, with peace talks between the warring sides moving slowly.