Afghan Officials Cite Revenge Killings in Latest Outbreak of Ethnic Hatred.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- At least nine Afghans and perhaps many more were forced out of their homes in rural Afghanistan and executed in what Afghan officials called an act of revenge by one ethnic group against another, underscoring the long shadow cast by the country's ethnic hatreds. The killing, which took place Wednesday in eastern Oruzgan Province, appears to have involved a Hazara commander who is said to have avenged the deaths of two fellow Hazaras by leading an armed group to nearby Pashtun villages and killing at least nine people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]