Ethnic Pashtuns are in a minority in the north of Afghanistan

The advocacy organisation called on the international community to act immediately to protect Pashtuns before the beginning of the loya jirga process which will lead to the selection of Afghanistan's new rulers.

Interim leader Hamid Karzai and the United Nations refugee agency have also highlighted concerns about abuse directed at Pashtuns, who formed the majority of the ousted Taleban though they are a minority in the country and particularly in the north.

The Human Rights Watch report says attacks have come from the three major armed factions in the north which break down along broadly ethnic lines into Uzbeks, Tajiks and Hazara.

Attacks detailed

The 56-page report, "Paying for the Taleban's Crimes: Abuses Against Ethnic Pashtuns in Northern Afghanistan", details findings from four weeks of interviews from villagers, community leaders and international observers.

Crimes listed in the report include:

• 37 Pashtun men killed by Hazara gunmen in Balkh province in December after being tied up and beaten in front of their families

• Two Pashtun men held for a week in a basement in Samangan province in December and beaten by Uzbek soldiers until they paid money

• A Pashtun farmer in Baghlan province beaten in front of a Tajik commander who was demanding money from him. His wife was also attacked.

The researchers said they also interviewed rape victims and witnesses despite cultural barriers to reporting sexual violence.

Peter Bouckaert, Human Rights Watch senior researcher for emergencies, said continued anti-Pashtun violence would threaten the future of Afghanistan.

"If northern Pashtuns are unable to take part in district or regional meetings to choose their representatives, then the validity of the entire loya jirga process will be called into question," he said.

"The international community must act now to guarantee the security of northern Pashtuns and other local minorities across Afghanistan as the loya jirga process begins."