The high-ranking United Nations (UN) delegation published a statement on Friday which reveals new details about their messages to the Taliban. The UN official statement shows that the Taliban attributed false statements to the UN delegation over the past week.
Haji Zaid, the spokesman for the Taliban governor in Kandahar, on Friday, quoted Amina Mohammed, the Deputy UN Secretary-General as saying that the UN "is fully committed to improving and strengthening the Taliban's relations with the international community”.
The Taliban also quoted Mohammed in their statement and wrote that the United Nations continues to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
However, the statements that the Taliban attributed to Mohammed have been in clear contradiction with the statement that the United Nations published at the end of the UN delegation's visit to Kabul.
The UN statement stressed that "this delegation directly issued a warning to the Taliban regarding the recent decree banning women from working in national and international non-governmental organisations”.
According to the UN statement, Mohammed said, "My message was clear. While we recognise the important exemptions made, these restrictions present Afghan women and girls with a future that confines them in their own homes, violating their rights and depriving the communities of their services."
While in their statements from the UN delegation meetings, the Taliban has said that the UN delegation spoke about continuation of humanitarian aid without any conditions, the organisation’s statement quoted Mohammed as saying, “The effective delivery of humanitarian assistance is predicated on principles that require full, safe and unhindered access for all aid workers, including women.”
