US Rules Out Talks on Afghan Taliban Recognition at UN-Hosted Meeting

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Amina Mohammed

Ayaz Gul
VOA News
April 20, 2023

ISLAMABAD — The United States has rejected discussions about recognizing Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership at a U.N.-hosted meeting scheduled for May 1-2.

“The intent and purpose of this meeting was never to discuss recognition of the Taliban, and any discussion at the meeting about recognition of the Taliban would be unacceptable,” a U.S. official told VOA on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The rebuttal came after U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed shared details of the planned meeting in Qatar, suggesting the recognition issue would be on the agenda.

“We hope that we will find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition … of the Taliban. In other words, there are conditions,” Mohammed told a seminar at Princeton University on Monday.

That discussion has to happen because Taliban authorities demand diplomatic recognition, and “that’s the leverage we have,” she stressed.

Doha meeting

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host the two-day meeting in Doha of envoys from countries around the world, but the deliberations will not focus on recognition of the Taliban, his office reiterated Thursday.

“The point of the discussion, which will be held in a closed, private setting, is to build a more unified consensus on the challenges at hand,” U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters in New York.

“There’s a need to reinvigorate international engagement around the sort of common objectives that the international community has on Afghanistan. So, we consider it a priority to advance an approach-based pragmatism and principles to have a constructive engagement on the issue.”

Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid demanded Thursday that the U.N. “fulfill its responsibility” toward the people of Afghanistan.

The “Islamic Emirate wants the recognition process to be completed soon. It will build mutual trust with world countries and help resolve all issues that can benefit regional security and stability,” Mujahid told VOA by phone. He used the official title of the Taliban government.

Mohammed’s remarks sparked a backlash from Western critics and self-exiled members of the Afghan diaspora, including rights activists and former government officials, citing restrictions the Taliban have imposed on women’s access to public life.

On Wednesday, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric attempted to explain Mohammed’s comments, saying the recognition issue was “clearly in the hands of the member states” and that she was reaffirming the need for an internationally coordinated approach.

“She was not in any way implying that anyone else but member states have the authority for recognition,” Dujarric said.

The 193-member U.N. General Assembly in December postponed for a second time a decision on whether to recognize the Taliban government by allowing its leaders to appoint their ambassador to the United Nations.

The Taliban seized power in August 2021 from the then-internationally backed Afghan government as U.S.-led NATO troops withdrew following 20 years of engagement in the country.

The Taliban’s men-only administration has since banned most female government employees from work and teenage girls from seeking education beyond grade six.

Afghan female staffers have recently been barred from working for the U.N. and nongovernmental organizations in a country where millions of families need urgent assistance.

The Taliban dismiss criticism of their governance, saying it aligns with Afghan culture and Islamic law.

Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report.

Related

Life under Taliban: Afghan Women And Children Driven To Begging For Bread In Kabul

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The sidewalks outside bakeries in the Afghan capital are packed with desperate mothers and children hoping for a bite to eat. The Taliban has banned women and girls from many jobs, secondary schools, and universities since returning to power in August 2021, worsening the country’s economic crisis, according to United Nations studies.

US watchdog ‘cannot assure’ Afghanistan aid not going to Taliban

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John Sopko

Al Jazeera: The head of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has decried a lack of transparency from United States agencies that he said has made it impossible to determine if aid allocated to the people of Afghanistan is instead “currently funding the Taliban”.  Sopko also accused the Taliban of diverting funds away from groups it “considers hostile”, such as the Hazaras ethnic minority, “and toward groups they favour”. Click here to read more (external link).

Taliban Arrest Panjshir University Professor on Alleged Charges of Collaboration with NRF

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8am: Sources speaking to Hasht-e Subh state that the Taliban detained the university professor, Jabir Jobran, on Wednesday, April 19, on charges of collaboration with the National Resistance Front (NRF). Jobran, who is the head of the Faculty of Sharia Law at the State University of Panjshir, was reportedly not affiliated with any group, but the Taliban had threatened him on several occasions. Click here to read more (external link).

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US Reviews Afghan Policy, Scolds ‘Draconian’ Taliban Edicts

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Akmal Dawi
VOA News
April 19, 2023

WASHINGTON — After nearly two years of standoff diplomacy with de facto Taliban authorities, Washington is reviewing its Afghan policy in response to what U.S. officials call “draconian” Taliban governance.

The review comes as the United Nations is reportedly mulling a suspension of operations inside Afghanistan because the Taliban have banned Afghan women from work at U.N. agencies.

“The U.S. government has been reviewing our approach and engagement with the Taliban in the context of their increasingly draconian edicts targeting and discriminating against women and girls in Afghanistan,” a spokesperson for the Department of State told VOA.

Unmoved by global condemnation of their misogynistic policies, including from Muslim-majority countries, the Taliban insist that depriving women of education, work and political participation is an internal Afghan issue.

Washington’s tougher tone comes as the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is reportedly planning to convene an international gathering in May to discuss the possibility of giving the Taliban a seat at the U.N. General Assembly in exchange for reversing the Islamist regime’s cascade of restrictions on Afghan women.

When asked about the proposed meeting’s goals on Wednesday, Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia told reporters in New York that he does not believe the group will consider recognition.

“I understand the Secretary-General, as he shared it with some of the member states, me included, will be looking for the opinion of those special envoys on how they see the way out for Afghanistan.”

Despite maintaining firm control over the entire country for nearly two years, the Taliban have failed to gain recognition from any government while the Afghanistan seat at the U.N. is still occupied by Naseer Ahmad Faiq, an appointee of the former Afghan government.

Meeting the opposition

Amid growing U.S. frustration with the Taliban, American diplomats have reached out to some former Afghan politicians and warlords who have set up political bases outside Afghanistan.

This week, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Tom West met with several Afghans in Istanbul saying he heard “deep concerns” about the Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

The National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan, an anti-Taliban group, said its representatives met West on Monday at his request. The group said in a tweet that it gave West a roadmap for “saving the country from the ongoing crisis.”

No U.S. official has traveled to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021, but Washington has bypassed the Taliban and maintained robust diplomatic and humanitarian engagement with Afghans.

Still, some think the U.S. should do more to engage. “Why is every other envoy traveling to or staying in [Afghanistan] but him,” tweeted Obaidullah Baheer, an Afghan analyst, about West’s meetings in Turkey. “I fail to see the logic behind meeting exiled and failed Republic warlords and politicians.”

While not extending a formal recognition, most regional countries, including Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan, have kept their embassies open in Kabul and have accredited Taliban representatives in their capitals.

Shinkai Karokhail, a former Afghan ambassador to Canada and a women’s rights activist, said even if U.S. diplomats were to travel to Afghanistan, they would not have access to unfiltered realities.

“The Taliban will not allow meetings with the representatives of the people or women’s groups and other civil and political activists,” she told VOA.

The U.S.’s continued engagement with former Afghan officials, often blamed for massive corruption and cataclysmic failures, is also seen by some as unhelpful.

“When there is a vacuum of representation or leadership, what is achieved by filling that vacuum by platforming victors of tragic failures?” said an Afghan activist who asked not to be named.

Intervention?

Under the Doha agreement signed between U.S. and Taliban officials in February 2020, the U.S. committed not to intervene in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs.

U.S. officials say they are not backing military uprisings against Taliban rule but demand they form an inclusive government.

Last month, an audio of part of a speech to a group of Afghan women by Karen Decker, the Qatar-based charge d’affaires of the U.S. mission to Afghanistan, was circulating on WhatsApp.

“We are trying to figure out how to get the best parts of the previous government and create and figure out how we can help Afghans create a new government for their country,” Decker is heard saying.

A spokesperson for the Department of State said Decker’s comments were consistent with a long-standing position by the international community.

“We have been clear in calling on the Taliban to form an inclusive and representative government that can legitimately speak for all Afghans.”

U.S. officials say the formation of an inclusive government should be exclusively an issue for Afghans to handle, not imposed by the international community.

“If the Taliban hope for a government that enjoys international legitimacy, launching a political dialogue among Afghans is a first step. Legitimacy begins at home,” the spokesperson said.

Such calls have thus far found no listeners among Taliban leaders.

“It is not clear yet whether the Taliban leadership in Kandahar has a roadmap for a political process that would strengthen legitimacy at home and abroad,” Omar Samad, a former Afghan ambassador to France, told VOA.

While the Taliban remain internationally isolated, Samad said “conditions, circumstances, threat perceptions, balance of power and the regional and international order are very different” now compared to the 1990s.

The Taliban made a commitment in the Doha agreement to forbid international terror groups in areas under their control, a change from their position that allowed al Qaida to operate freely. And unlike the 1990s when the Taliban were battling warlords for control of the country, since the 2021 U.S. withdrawal the Taliban has been Afghanistan’s ruling power with no real challengers.

“The question now is whether there is political will in both capitals for reframing and relaunching new talks on the way forward,” Samad said.

Margaret Besheer contributed to this article from New York.

The Taliban Leader’s Hypocrisy

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Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada

8am: It has been almost two years since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, yet Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has remained hidden and has not appeared in the media. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, has made appearances, but Hibatullah has not agreed to do so. This is significant as Haqqani is still on the United States’ wanted list with a reward of 10 million dollars. The only evidence of Hibatullah’s physical presence is his voice, which is often broadcasted in the media as he conveys his views to the public. Click here to read more (external link).

Women’s Movement Opposes UN Official’s Call to Recognize Taliban

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8am: In response to recent remarks by Amina Jane Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, advocating for a meeting to formally recognize the Taliban, the Women’s Movement for Peace and Freedom has expressed its opposition. The Women’s Movement for Peace and Freedom accused Mohammed of making hasty and irresponsible remarks, citing the removal of women from Afghan society following the Taliban’s takeover. Click here to read more (external link).

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Southern Afghan City Becomes De Facto Capital As Taliban Chief Tightens Grip On Power

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By Ikramullah Ikram and Abubakar Siddique
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
April 18, 2023

Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar is the historical birthplace and the political base of the Taliban. Now, the country’s second-largest city appears to be becoming the de facto capital under the militant group’s rule.

Several officials have recently been transferred from the capital, Kabul, to Kandahar. Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada lives in the city and rarely leaves the Pashtun heartland in southern Afghanistan.

Experts say Akhundzada’s decision to relocate the offices of two Taliban spokesmen to Kandahar is part of efforts to tighten his grip on power. The move comes amid growing reports of infighting between key Taliban ministers based in Kabul and a powerful group of clerics led by Akhundzada in Kandahar.

“It looks like political power is being transferred from Kabul to Kandahar,” Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator who has tracked the Taliban since its emergence in the 1990s, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. “[Akhundzada] is creating a parallel administration to the one in Kabul.”

In recent months, senior Taliban officials have appeared to criticize Akhundzada, accusing him of monopolizing power and empowering ultraconservative clerics who share his extremist views.

Akhundzada’s repressive policies have alienated Afghans and isolated the Taliban’s unrecognized government internationally. Under his leadership, the Taliban has severely curtailed women’s rights, stamped out the free press, and committed human rights abuses.

Akhundzada, a hard-line cleric and former chief justice, has the ultimate say on all important matters under the Taliban’s clerical system.

‘Appointing Loyalists Everywhere’

After the Taliban seized power in 2021, ministers carried out the day-to-day administration of the Taliban government. But in recent months, Akhundzada has sought to micromanage the affairs of the state, said Yousufzai.

“He is now involved in appointing district commanders, administrators, and the directors of various government departments,” Yousufzai told Radio Azadi. “He is appointing loyalists everywhere.”

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesman, relocated his office from Kabul to Kandahar on April 6, according to Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the Ministry of Information and Culture.

Innamullah Samangani, another key government spokesman and head of the Taliban’s Media and Information Center, was also recently transferred to Kandahar.

Kandahar, a historically important political center, briefly served as the capital of Afghanistan, which was founded in 1747. Many of the kings that ruled the country until the monarchy was overthrown in 1973 hailed from the broader Kandahar region.

The Taliban first emerged in Kandahar during the civil war in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s. Its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, kept Kandahar as the de facto capital even after the Taliban seized control of Kabul in 1996. The hard-line Islamist group was ousted from power by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

Andrew Watkins, a senior Afghanistan expert at the United States Institute of Peace think tank in Washington, says Mujahid’s transfer is one of the most public signs of a trend in which Akhundzada appears to be strengthening his influence.

Watkins said Akhundzada wants control over “public messaging,” which he says has “long been a priority for the Taliban.”

The Taliban has denied that the decision to relocate senior officials to Kandahar is part of a power struggle.

Mujahid said part of his office has moved to Kandahar in order to report more closely on the meetings and other activities of the Taliban chief. “The recent move doesn’t amount to transferring the capital to Kandahar,” Mujahid told Radio Azadi.

But observers are not convinced.

“There are factions within the Taliban that want more power,” Tariq Farhadi, an Afghan political analyst based in Europe, told Radio Azadi. “It paints an overall worrying picture for the future of the Taliban.”

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.