Taliban Must be Held Accountable, Says UN Women’s Country Representative in Afghanistan

Abdul Nafi Takor, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior told Afghanistan International that the explosion had caused casualties and that all the victims were civilians.

According to Takor, the explosion took place after the Friday prayers when people were leaving the Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque.

So far, no individual or group has claimed responsibility for this explosion, but in the past, the Islamic State-Khurasan (IS-K) has taken responsibility for similar attacks.

IS-K recently said in a statement that the Taliban had not been able to prevent the group’s attacks in Afghanistan.

He discussed this in a meeting with Mohammad Akbari, a former Shia-Hazara member of the Afghan Parliament.

Abdul Kabir, however, has not elaborated on when the investigation will be initiated. He has stressed that his office has received suggestions from Shia leaders on how to resolve their problems.

The Taliban has not explained what are the problems and issues that the Shia community in Afghanistan faces under their rule. They have been silent on the recognition of Jafari Shia sect as one of the two officially recognised sects of Afghanistan.

Recently, the members of the Afghan Shia Ulema Assembly criticised the Taliban for not recognising the Jafari sect which is one of their main demands from the Taliban.

The statement denounced violations of international humanitarian law and abuses of rights protected under international human rights treaties and conventions to which Afghanistan is a State Party, including abuses of the rights of members of ethnic and religious minority groups or other marginalized groups.

The special representatives and envoys also condemned, in particular, abuses of the rights of Afghan women and girls throughout the country, including restrictions on freedom of movement, as well as their exclusion from political, economic, educational and social spaces.

While denouncing increasing restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression, notably through media repression, including of female reporters, the statement also condemned the detentions of both Afghan and foreign journalists.

They stressed on the urgency in continuing to address the grave humanitarian crisis in the country, including through steps to prepare the Afghan population for the upcoming winter.

Apart from this, the statement also expressed grave concern about the continued presence and operations of terrorists and terrorist groups in Afghanistan, including al-Qaeda and other groups with a stated aim to target countries in the region and beyond; and specifically condemned the recent presence of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan and emphasized that Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul was a clear example of the Taliban’s failure to meet their counter-terrorism commitments.

The special representatives and envoys of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States met in Washington D.C. on September 15, 2022, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. Other officials from Japan, Qatar, Switzerland and UNAMA also participated in the meeting as observers, which included technical sessions with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

They urged the Taliban to take sustained and verifiable steps, consistent with their commitments and applicable international law, including international humanitarian law, against all terrorist groups and activity occurring in Afghanistan.

The statement also emphasised that enduring peace and stability in Afghanistan requires a credible and inclusive national dialogue leading to a constitutional order with a representative political system.

It also emphasised on the need for the Afghan central bank to (1) demonstrate its independence from political influence and interference; (2) demonstrate it has instituted adequate anti-money laundering and countering-the-financing-of-terrorism (AML/CFT) controls; and (3) complete a third-party needs assessment and onboard a reputable third-party monitor in order to solve the economic crisis of Afghanistan.

He said that if anyone gives shelter to terrorists, the owner and the district chief will be arrested and the house will be seized by the Taliban.

Abu Hamza emphasised that the officials of this group are working day and night to ensure security in Mazar-e-Sharif city.

He said that the Taliban will suppress those who cause problems for the people.

It is not clear who the Taliban term as terrorists, but in the past year, the Taliban had announced that they had killed a number of ISIS fighters who had taken shelter inside residential properties.

The Taliban has expressed concern about armed groups taking shelter in residential places at a time when the international community expressed fear of the possibility of Afghanistan becoming a terrorist haven under the Taliban rule.

Recently, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, was killed in a US airstrike in Shirpur area of Kabul, near the office of the Taliban Prime Minister.

According to reports, the al-Qaeda leader was staying in the guest house of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister.

The Qatari minister said, “We’ve been advising the international community that we need to arrange a blueprint for the way forward—what are the required series of conditions we need from the current leadership in Afghanistan, in exchange of what we can provide as an international community.”

Sheikh Mohammed added that Afghanistan will remain a concern in the absence of a clear roadmap for the country’s future.

During his speech at the UNGA on Tuesday, Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said abandoning Afghanistan would be counterproductive.

“We have seen a growing humanitarian crisis over there, an economic crisis, as well as a growing concern on terrorism and terrorist organisations operating from there,” he said.

Qatar had earlier too facilitated negotiations between the Taliban and the US. In addition to talks between the former Afghan government and then-militants, Qatar has remained a key platform for dialogue. Since last year, it has hosted meetings between the Taliban and the international community.