Iranian Parliament Speaker Discusses ISIS Threat In Afghanistan With Tajik Counterpart

This report stated that the fund has not provided financial support to activities that benefit the people of Afghanistan.

In this report to Michael T McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, John Sapko, SIGAR inspector general, said, "Although the fund’s unanimous vote requirement could help prevent the fund from engaging in risky activity, there are currently no controls in place that specifically address the issue of Taliban diversion.”

In September 2022, United States issued a license authorising the transfer of USD 3.5 billion of the frozen assets of Afghanistan’s Central Bank to a trust fund in Switzerland for the benefit of the Afghan people, including printing money and maintaining Afghan stability.

The Taliban has persistently called for the transfer of Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves to the group. Contrarily, Anwar Haq Ahadi, a member of this fund, clarified to Afghanistan International that the trust fund will not directly provide funds to the Taliban. Instead, it will disburse payments to relevant institutions for projects deemed to be "for the benefit of the people”.

The latest SIGAR report was commissioned in response to a request from the chairman of the foreign relations committee of the US House of Representatives, specifically concerning the oversight of the trust fund's management.

McCaul, in a letter to SIGAR in March 2023, requested a review of the management mechanism of the fund. He expressed concern about the possibility of fraud, abuse, and direct and indirect support of the trust fund to the Taliban regime.

SIGAR has raised concerns about the Taliban's involvement in appointing an official responsible for overseeing suspicious transactions. It said that Hidyatullah Badri, who is on the list of the US international terrorists, now appoints the head of "FinTRACA", Da Afghanistan Bank’s financial intelligence unit. This unit is responsible for monitoring and preventing illegal transactions such as money laundering and terrorist financing in the financial and banking system of Afghanistan.

Hidyatullah Badri was the former head of the Taliban’s financial commission, who is on the UN Security Council sanctions list for his role in financing suicide attacks in Kandahar.

The United States has rejected the Taliban's appeal for access to Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves held in Switzerland and the United States by the Central Bank of Afghanistan. The United States says that the Central Bank of Taliban is not currently recognised as an independent institution from the group and lacks mechanisms to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

Nevertheless, USAID's evaluation suggests that the potential for the trust fund's involvement in activities supervised by the Taliban’s Central Bank should not be overlooked.

A photo published on their social media showed Otunbayeva's face covered, marking the first time the Taliban have censored a UN official's image in their media handouts.

This act aligns with the Taliban's broader restrictions on women's representation in media. Over the past two years, female journalists have been required to cover their bodies and faces, with only their eyes visible, following a decree from the Taliban. Media outlets have also been pressured not to broadcast women's voices.

Since their takeover of Kabul, the Taliban have systematically removed images of women from public spaces, including beauty salons and shops.

In recent months, the Taliban's enforcement of their prescribed hijab on women and girls has intensified, leading to several arrests. The group insists that women's hijab should only reveal their eyes and has threatened to imprison relatives of women who do not comply with this directive.

Human rights organisations have condemned these measures as an effort to erase Afghan women from public life and confine them to their homes.

This policy was conveyed by Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's Special Representative for Afghanistan, during his meeting with Abdul Kabir, the Taliban's Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs.

In a statement released on social media on Tuesday, the embassy highlighted that Iran's foreign policy is grounded in principles like independence, territorial integrity, legitimate sovereignty, and non-discriminatory participation. These are part of a broader commitment to stability, prosperity, and good neighborliness.

The Taliban reported that the meeting occurred on Sunday. They quoted Qomi, stating that Iran's foreign policy towards Afghanistan focuses on cooperation with the Taliban government, evidenced by several signed agreements.

Further, the Taliban's statement cited Qomi's assurance that Iran does not support any Taliban opponents and is dedicated to integrating Afghanistan into the regional framework. He also asserted that attempts to sow discord between Iran and Afghanistan would not be successful.

Abdul Kabir emphasized the importance of developing and strengthening Iran-Afghanistan relations. While Iran, like other countries, has not officially recognized the Taliban government, it maintains close ties with the group and has even handed over the Afghan embassy in Tehran to them.

The university announced that it has prepared an educational programme for female students from grades 9 to 12.

AUAF announced the enrollment of applicants and stated that this programme is designed for students who could not complete their studies due to the ban on girls' education in Afghanistan.

This university has called the goal of launching this educational programme to maintain an educated workforce which will provide the foundation of political and economic stability in Afghanistan.

The university also wrote that this programme adheres to the main values of the American University of Afghanistan, including freedom of expression, pluralism, free research, equal opportunities, individual rights, tolerance and dignified personal and professional behaviour.

The university added that the programme is only for students who live in Afghanistan and students who enrol from other countries will not be accepted.

The Taliban has banned millions of girls from going to school and university, and women and girls in Afghanistan live in a difficult situation.

On December 20, 2022, the Ministry of Higher Education of the Taliban had announced that the education of girls in universities would be suspended until further notice.

The group has ignored internal protests and international pressures regarding the ban on girls' education above the sixth grade and university studies.

Officials of the group have said that there is still no suitable situation based on Sharia for the education of girls in Afghanistan.

According to Mujahid, these women were allegedly influenced by external entities to challenge the Taliban's dress code standards in urban areas.

In an interview with TOLOnews, Mujahid stated that the detained women were taken to a nearby location for a few hours, where they were counselled in the presence of their family members before being released.

Mujahid criticised unnamed organisations for reacting to issues based on social media reports without proper verification, calling such responses misguided. He did not specify the number of women recently arrested.

This development follows a series of arrests by the Taliban’s Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, particularly targeting young women and girls in various Kabul neighbourhoods, including Dashte Barchi, Taimani, and Khairkhana.