12 Prominent Female Leaders Urge Afghan Women's Inclusion In Doha Meeting

He said that “not one cent needs to be funnelled to our enemies”.

Burchett, who introduced the bill, strongly criticised the US State Department for not preventing the Taliban from accessing US humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. He wrote on his X account, "We have to tear the State Department down and start from scratch. "

If the bill is approved by the Senate, the US State Department will be required to report which countries, in addition to the US, have provided aid to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan since 2021.

The bill also mandates the US State Department to encourage other countries to ensure their aid money does not end up in the hands of the Taliban.

Burchett, Vice-Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News, "It's just obscene that any money would get to the Taliban. We are $35 trillion in debt and do not need to be funding our enemies one bit".

The US government has stated that it has provided over $2 billion in aid to Afghanistan in the past three years, which has been delivered to the Afghan people through aid organisations such as the United Nations.

However, critics, including some Republicans, believe that a portion of this aid ends up in the pockets of the Taliban, whom they consider an anti-American terrorist group.

Earlier, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) had announced that US partner organisations had paid over $10 million in taxes to the Taliban.

The State Department has said that its partner aid organisations have implemented necessary measures to prevent the Taliban from accessing US financial aid.

However, John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, told members of US Congress that there is no guarantee that the Taliban does not benefit from US aid intended for the Afghan people.

Bennett stated that the International Criminal Court is investigating these issues, which could lead to the prosecution of responsible individuals.

During a panel discussion at a Norwegian think tank, Bennett praised the "peaceful and courageous" protests by women against the Taliban's gender policies, noting that such bravery is rarely seen worldwide.

He also mentioned that while street protests have become extremely difficult due to the Taliban's harsh crackdown, protests in private spaces and on social media continue.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan highlighted that the human rights situation in the country is deteriorating, with gender-based violence against women on the rise. Bennett noted that the Taliban have increased the enforcement of Hudud and Qisas punishments in public.

According to Bennett, the Taliban are rigorously enforcing dress code laws, primarily targeting women and girls.

In a video published by the Civita think tank on Tuesday, Bennett added that Afghanistan is currently the only country in the world where girls are banned from education beyond the sixth grade and university.

He also pointed out that the prohibition of women's employment makes Afghanistan the only country where women are not allowed to work.

The UN Special Rapporteur emphasised that the Taliban's directive for female UN staff in Afghanistan to stay home and not work was not only shocking, but also violated the UN Charter. He said that the UN needed to confront the Taliban's directive.

Bennett noted that the prohibition of women's employment in other international organisations in Afghanistan is also being enforced, with limited exceptions.

Bennett's criticism of the Taliban's policies towards women comes as the third Doha meeting is set to be held without the presence of women. The UN Secretary-General's special representative confirmed that women would not be present on the first day of the Doha meeting.

This exclusion has sparked widespread criticism, with several critics calling for a boycott of the meeting.

According to the NRF, the first attack occurred in the Khair Khana area of Police District 15, while the second took place in Police District 9.

In a statement published on X social media platform, the NRF stated that at 8:25 PM on Tuesday, their forces attacked a Taliban checkpoint near the power junction in the Khair Khana area, resulting in the death of two Taliban members and the injury of another.

The Front also reported that in the second attack, which occurred simultaneously with the first, their forces targeted a vehicle carrying Taliban intelligence forces behind the customs office in the "Industrial Parks" area, killing four Taliban members and destroying their vehicle.

The NRF's claims regarding Taliban casualties in these attacks have not been independently verified.

Several Afghanistan International readers reported hearing a loud explosion in Kabul on Tuesday evening.

The court also stated that two other individuals in the same province have been punished for theft.

According to the court's statement, these individuals have been sentenced to 39 lashes and three years of imprisonment.

The Taliban claims that the punishment sentences were issued and executed by the court in Parwan.

Earlier, this group announced the punishment of a woman in Herat province for extramarital relations with 39 lashes.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban's Foreign Minister, stated that based on the orders of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s leader, Mujahid will lead the Taliban delegation at the Doha meeting.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that a meeting was held in Kabul to discuss the Doha meeting, focusing on sanctions on the financial and banking system, challenges in the private sector, and combating drugs.

Previously, the UN representative for Afghanistan expressed hope that the Taliban's Foreign Minister would attend this meeting.

The Taliban have not provided details about the composition and other members of this delegation.

The Taliban's foreign ministry mentioned that on Tuesday, with the presence of Zabihullah Mujahid, Noor Ahmad Agha, Deputy Governor of the Taliban's Central Bank, Mullah Abdulhaq Hamkar, Deputy Interior Minister for Counter Narcotics, and advisors from the Ministry of Commerce discussed the Doha meeting.