Clerics from across Afghanistan on Thursday gathered in Kabul where they voiced outrage over the systematic murder of clerics and the government’s failure to protect the lives of the religious dignitaries in the country.

They accused the Afghan government of having a hostile policy and called on the Afghan security agencies to ensure the safety of the religious scholars in the country.

Clerics warned that there would be serious fallout if the government fails to protect the religious scholars in the country in the future.

On June 2, an explosion at Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque in downtown Kabul evening left two dead, including mosque imam Maulavi Mohammad Ayaz Niazi.

Ten days later, another explosion occurred at the Sher Shah Suri Mosque in the Kart-e-Char area in the west of Kabul as people were partaking in the Friday prayer, killing at least four worshippers including mosque Imam Maulavi Azizullah Mufleh.

In another incident, early Thursday morning at least seven students were killed and seven more were wounded in an explosion at a madrasa in Ishkashim district of northern Takhar province.

“We do not have criticism of the entire system, but there is a corrupt circle inside the system which has started the methodical killing of our scholars,” said Maulavi Tarakhel Mohammadi, a cleric.

“The government should amend its policy towards the religion, the scholars and the nation, otherwise, the scholars will change their policy towards the government,” said Habibullah Hessam, a cleric.

“The Ulema reiterates its call on the government to take the issue seriously of the murder of the Ulema,” said Mohammad Sarwar Omari, a member of the Afghanistan Ulema Council.

The Interior Ministry has said that a probe team has been assigned to investigate the incidents.