Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
September 15, 2019
The Afghan Taliban on September 15 revoked their ban on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and restored its guarantee for the security of ICRC staff doing humanitarian work in Afghanistan.
“The Islamic Emirate restores the former security guarantees to ICRC in Afghanistan and instructs all mujahedin to pave the way for ICRC activities and to be mindful of security to this committee’s workers and equipment,” a Taliban statement read.
An ICRC spokesman said the same day that the organization’s operations had resumed across the country.
In April, the Taliban imposed a ban on the ICRC and the World Health Organization (WHO), alleging the two organizations were conducting “suspicious” activities connected with their vaccination campaigns.
The September 15 statement did not mention the WHO.
The WHO has been carrying out a polio-vaccination campaign in Afghanistan, one of the last countries in the world where the disease is endemic.
The Taliban control more than half of Afghanistan’s 410 districts.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP