German FM Warns Against Accepting Taliban’s Conditions for Deporting Criminals

The organisation has called on the Taliban to end the restrictions on the basic rights of women and girls.

Coinciding with the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, Human Rights Watch wrote on X social media platform, "As the Paris Olympics begin, millions of women and girls in Afghanistan are being denied the right to education and sports."

The human rights organisation has urged the Taliban to end the mistreatment of Afghan women and girls and to lift the restrictions imposed on them.

Over the past three years, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on women's work and activities. In addition to prohibiting girls from attending school above the sixth grade and preventing them from entering universities and educational centres, the group has also banned women's sports.

Earlier, the spokesperson for the Taliban-controlled Olympic Committee told Agence France-Presse that they do not recognise the three Afghan female athletes who are participating in the Paris Olympics.

Six Afghan athletes, three women and three men, are representing Afghanistan in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Additionally, five Afghan athletes are participating in the event as part of the International Olympic Committee's refugee team, bringing the total number of Afghan athletes at the Paris Olympics to eleven.

Two of the executed Afghan citizens have been identified as Gulab Shah Noorzeh and Matiullah Barakzai, while the identity of the third person remains unknown.

Gulab Shah Noorzeh and Matiullah Barakzai, both 40 years old, were executed on charges related to drug offences.

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that the identity of the third executed Afghan citizen in Iran is under investigation.

These executions, reported by HRANA, Hal Vash, and Kurdpa, indicate that Iran has executed at least 27 prisoners over the past six days (from Saturday to Thursday), averaging one execution every five hours.

Of the 27 prisoners executed in the prisons of Urmia, Bandar Abbas, Birjand, Torbat-e Jam, Khorramabad, Shiraz, Qaen, Qazvin, Qom, Karaj, Kermanshah, and Mashhad, four were women.

According to human rights organisations, more than 290 people have been hanged in various prisons in Iran since the beginning of this year.

Amnesty International, in its latest annual report on the death penalty worldwide, highlighted a significant increase in executions in Iran, reporting that nearly 75% of all recorded executions globally last year occurred in Iran.

The bill, known as the "Preventing the Recognition of Terrorist State Act," aims to prevent the recognition of the Taliban.

The Republican representative stated that freedom and justice demand rejecting tyranny and oppression in all its forms and that this bill will ensure the United States never recognises the terrorist regime of the Taliban.

Mace added, "By prohibiting any federal actions implying their legitimacy and designating them as state sponsors of terrorism, we stand firm against this rogue state’s barbarism.”

A statement released by Mace's office on Thursday indicates that, if enacted, the bill will prevent the recognition of the Taliban government.

The statement indicates that the bill will send a clear message to the Middle East that the US will never recognise a regime controlled by terrorists.

This is the first time such a bill has been introduced in the Congress to prevent the recognition of the Taliban.

According to Mace's statement, key provisions of the bill include prohibiting any US government entity from recognising the Taliban regime or allocating funding for that purpose.

The bill would also compel the US Department of State to designate the Taliban as a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" and a "Foreign Terrorist Organisation”.

The department stated in a press release that it is offering $10 million for information that results in disrupting the funding processes of ISIS-Khorasan.

This announcement was posted on the "Rewards for Justice" website, which tracks the State Department's rewards for information about wanted individuals and groups.

The release adds that ISIS-Khorasan is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians, who lost their lives in the group's terrorist attacks on schools, mosques, funerals, and even hospitals.

The Department of State believes that ISIS-Khorasan finances its activities through the extraction of natural resources in Afghanistan, including the profitable talc mines in Nangarhar.

The department also noted that ISIS-Khorasan funds itself through activities such as taxation, extortion from local businesses and individuals, illegal tobacco sales in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and money laundering using cryptocurrency.

Additionally, the department stated that this terrorist group receives financial support from the main branch of ISIS.

According to the "Rewards for Justice" website, the group uses its financial resources to purchase weapons, train members, and conduct terrorist operations.

The department emphasised that ISIS-Khorasan uses informal remittance systems to transfer money and fund its activities.

The announcement calls for cooperation to cut off the financial pathways of the group.

ISIS-Khorasan is officially a branch of the "Islamic State" operating in South Asia, primarily in Afghanistan.

The group refers to Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries as "Khorasan Province," based on the historical region of Greater Khorasan.

The Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Ovezov shared the "recent progress regarding the practical work on the TAPI pipeline extension" with Muttaqi.

Hafiz Zia Ahmad, Taliban’s Deputy Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, mentioned that the focus of the meeting between Muttaqi and Ovezov was the initiation of the TAPI pipeline extension within Afghanistan and the enhancement of bilateral diplomatic relations.

Muttaqi stated that "the relevant Afghan departments are working on finalising all technical aspects of the pipeline extension within Afghanistan so that the work can practically commence soon”.

This week, the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Turkmenistan also emphasised on the importance of developing economic and energy cooperation, including the TAPI project.

On July 10, during a meeting with the Turkmen Ambassador, Muttaqi said that they are resolving the legal obstacles hindering the TAPI project.

The TAPI project was inaugurated in 2016 by the leaders of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. The TAPI gas pipeline passes through Herat, Farah, Nimroz, Helmand, and Kandahar province of Afghanistan.

TAPI will transport Turkmenistan's gas through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.

Since coming to power, the Taliban have prioritised the exploitation of natural resources and major energy projects of the previous government.

The group has attempted to improve relations with China and Central Asian countries to attract their investment in Afghanistan's mining sector, albeit unsuccessfully.