Taliban’s Fight Against ISIS-K is Serious, Says US Representative Thomas West

Knudsen also asked the Taliban to end human rights violations.

At the meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday, she called on the Taliban to erode policies that lead to the exclusion of women from the social, economic and civil spheres.

Knudsen stressed that ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan depends on an inclusive political process with the participation of all Afghans, including women, ethnic and religious minorities, as well as the LGBT community.

Knudsen also called for the accountability of the group regarding repeated violations of human rights "necessary".

The international community and regional countries have always asked the Taliban to agree to the formation of an inclusive government, but the Taliban has not yet complied to the international demands.

The United Nations Human Rights Council started its 54th session on Monday. A major part of the speeches on the first day of this summit had been devoted to the situation in Afghanistan.

Türk added that the UN continues documenting human rights violations against former employees and security forces members of the previous Afghan government.

On Monday, the UN official at the meeting of the Human Rights Council said that since the takeover of Kabul, Taliban has imposed a systematic assault on the people that violates human rights and freedoms of people, especially women and girls.

Referring to the prohibition of education for women and girls, he described the Taliban’s oppression against women and girls as "cruel".

According to Türk, the Taliban's increasing restrictions on women and girls’ fundamental freedoms, confines them “to the four walls of their homes”.

He added that women and girls' disobedience to the Taliban rules leads to arbitrary arrest, harassment, and even physical violence.

Türk also said that in the past two years of the Taliban’s rule, laws and institutions that once had been supplying protection for human rights, have been systematically eroded.

According to him, the laws that previously protected women from violence or enabled a good environment for the media, are now suspended.

Türk added that the Taliban have resumed corporal punishment and public executions. “There are ongoing reports of extrajudicial killings, torture and ill-treatment as well as arbitrary arrests and detentions,” he said.

He stated that in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, rights of accused people are being violated due to failure to maintain procedural safeguards and the absence of a criminal justice system.

He said that the Taliban has appointed bodies to monitor prisons and the judicial process, but so far it has not been seen how these institutions work.

In his speech at the Human Rights Council, Türk addressed Taliban’s repressive actions toward the media too.

He said that the Taliban's restrictions on the media represented a "targeted attack" on freedom of expression and opinion.

This UN official said that journalists in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are being prohibited from publishing content that is against the Taliban's religious interpretation.

He also pointed to the banning of foreign films and covering female presenter’s faces on television.

According to him, the Taliban's restrictions have caused many media outlets to halt operations. Civil society faces similar restrictions, he said.

He added that with arbitrary arrests, the Taliban uses it as a tool to silence “dissents and free speech”.

The United Nations Human Rights Council started its 54th session on Monday. A major part of the speeches on the first day of this summit had been devoted to the situation in Afghanistan.

In an interview with Afghanistan International, Kay said that Afghanistan will witness another tumultuous change.

On Monday, Kay mentioned the reasons which portray how vulnerable, fragile and isolated the Taliban is.

He said that before the Taliban assumes that they will remain in power forever, they should look at history, the Afghan people and other regional stakeholders.

This former British ambassador pointed to the history of Afghanistan over the last fifty years which has experienced at least seven different regimes.

He said that this historical evidence shows that Afghanistan is about to witness another tumultuous change.

Kay pointed to the political isolation of the Taliban by the international community; internal differences among the group; tense relations with neighbouring countries, especially Pakistan; severe decline in international aid and the lack of an inclusive government, which, according to him, has alarmed the group.

This former British official said that so far, no country has recognised the Taliban and the group is vulnerable due to the international isolation.

He said that the weaknesses of the Taliban can lead to an uprising and rebellion inside Afghanistan.

Mehsud is believed to be the TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud's "right-hand man" and confidant.

However, Afghanistan International's sources did not mention who targeted Mehsud.

So far, there is no information about his health condition.

TTP has not officially confirmed or denied attack on Mehsud or his injury.

She asked the countries of the world to stick to their current agreement regarding the policies of the Taliban.

She added that normalisation of relations with the group should depend on the change in their behaviour in Afghanistan.

Addressing a UN Human Rights Council session, Taylor, like representatives from various countries, expressed support for the statement of Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan.

At the 54th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Bennett said that Taliban's policies against women are "cruel and misogynistic". He added that Taliban "systematically" violates and restricts the rights of women and girls.

In her statement, Taylor said that the Taliban are trying to completely remove women from the public sphere. She reiterated once again that the US and the international community will not recognise Taliban regime until it changes its extremist policies.

She also asked the representatives of other governments to maintain their unity against the Taliban and ask the group to change its policies against women and other layers of the Afghan society.

Without naming the Taliban, Taylor said that the existing reports about the killing and torture of the former Afghan government employees are valid and expressed concern about it.

The Taliban has denied the human rights organisations’ reports regarding the killing and torture of former security forces members in Afghanistan.