Too Early to Consider Recognising Taliban, Says Russian Foreign Ministry

The letter claims that the agreement, signed during Trump’s first presidency in 2020, has failed to deliver peace and has instead intensified the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.

The Doha Agreement facilitated the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which subsequently led to the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power. In their statement, 25 organisations advocating for women’s and human rights criticised the agreement, stating that it had exacerbated violence, fostered extremism, and contributed to the export of terrorism to neighbouring countries and the wider world.

The activists have called upon the incoming U.S. administration to increase diplomatic pressure on the Taliban and to prosecute its leaders in international courts for “war crimes” and widespread human rights abuses.

The letter highlights the Taliban’s oppressive policies, which have stripped Afghan women and girls of fundamental rights, including access to education, employment, and personal freedoms. It also notes a marked increase in reports of torture, beatings, forced marriages, and the detention of women protesting against the regime’s restrictive laws.

The activists further accuse the Taliban of perpetrating unlawful killings, persecuting ethnic and religious minorities, and carrying out enforced disappearances. They argue that the Doha Agreement and three years of Taliban rule have precipitated a humanitarian crisis, forcing many Afghans into dire circumstances and triggering waves of displacement.

The letter warns of the Taliban’s role in narcotics production and trafficking, alleging that the group relies on drug revenues to sustain its regime. This, the activists claim, poses a significant threat to global public health and the economies of the region.

Additionally, they cautioned that the worsening humanitarian crisis and mass displacements could lead to increased migration to neighbouring countries and Europe, creating new political and humanitarian challenges.

Donald Trump, during a past debate with Kamala Harris, stated that the Doha Agreement had been terminated under his administration due to the Taliban’s failure to adhere to its commitments. “The Doha Agreement was terminated by us because they [the Taliban] did not fulfil their obligations,” he said.

Despite this, key provisions of the agreement — particularly regarding intra-Afghan dialogue and the formation of an inclusive national government — remain unimplemented.

Some former U.S. and Afghan officials have criticised the Doha Agreement, asserting that it weakened the Afghan government and paved the way for its eventual collapse. Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan who signed the agreement with Mullah Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, recently commented that Trump’s return to the White House could present an opportunity for the agreement’s full implementation.

The open letter serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles faced by the Afghan people, particularly women, under Taliban rule, and it calls for renewed international attention and action to address the worsening crisis.

UNAMA has called on the Taliban to thoroughly investigate the attack on Sufis in Baghlan and prevent the recurrence of such attacks in the future.

On Thursday night, unidentified gunmen attacked the shrine of Sayyed Padshah Agha in Nahrin district of Baghlan province and opened fire on Sufis praying.

The Taliban's police command in Baghlan confirmed in a statement that at least 10 people were killed in the attack.

The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) wrote in a note on Saturday, November 23, that the Taliban must ensure the protection of communities.

Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said, "Religious minorities continue to be under serious threat. All Afghans have the right to worship in peace."

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, but sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban had previously warned the custodians of the Sayyed Badshah Agha shrine in Nahrin, Baghlan to refrain from holding zikr ceremonies at the shrine.

According to sources, the Taliban's Directorate for the Promotion of Virtue in Baghlan had declared the circles of the Khanqah to be "illegitimate”.

According to official reports, since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, Sufi shrines and monasteries have been targeted by deadly attacks at least five times, in which at least 113 people have been killed and 228 others injured.

RIA Novosti news agency wrote that Kevorkova had been in temporary detention since May 2024, and a Moscow court extended her detention on Friday.

The Russian state media reported on Friday (November 22) that the journalist's accusation relates to justifying the Taliban's activity in a text published on the Telegram channel in 2021.

Another charge against Kevorkova is an article about the murder of Russian military journalist Orkhan Jamal in Central Africa, which was also published on Telegram.

The Taliban is on the list of terrorist groups in Russia.

The RIA Novosti news agency reported that according to the Moscow court's ruling, Kevorkova will be in temporary detention until January 5, 2025. During this time, the charges against her will be investigated.

Kevorkova has collaborated with a number of prominent Russian publications and has also worked as a correspondent in Syria, Iran, Iraq and the Gaza Strip.

According to reports, the female journalist has denied the charges.

He called on the United Nations to send a delegation to the Bagram prison to address the issue and prevent the "oppression of the Taliban”.

Hamid Saifi was a former commander of the Afghan army. After the collapse of the government and the Taliban's takeover, he joined the National Resistance Front (NRF) and continued the armed struggle against the Taliban.

In a note on social media platform X on Friday, the military commander wrote, "The prisoners of the Resistance Front in (Bagram prison) are practically deprived of all basic facilities, including medicine, in this cold weather."

After regaining control, the Taliban closed the Bagram prison. Hundreds of Taliban members, ISIS members, and drug traffickers were imprisoned at Bagram. According to reports, the Taliban has reactivated the prison.

Recently, sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban has transferred dozens of prisoners accused of cooperating with the National Resistance Front from Pul-e-Charkhi prison and some northern provinces to Bagram prison in northern Kabul.

Hamid Saifi said that the Taliban "deliberately keeps members of the Resistance Front in rooms shared with ISIS prisoners, contrary to all moral standards".

With this action, he said, that the Taliban "deliberately paved the way for ISIS propaganda to recruit prisoners of the National Resistance Front," stressing that this has led to a physical confrontation between the prisoners.

The commander of the NRF has said that he does not expect the Taliban to change the situation of prisoners.

Taliban officials have not officially commented on the resumption of Bagram prison and the torture of members of the National Resistance Front.

The programme included dinner and poetry reading and was held as part of the "Welcome" project to support Afghan women living in the United States.

Meghan Markle met with Afghan women who sought refuge in the United States after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Saturday night.

In the programme, Afghan women shared their experiences and discussed different cultures and traditions.

The purpose of this event is to create cultural exchange and solidarity among the participants.

At the invitation, guests read poetry and shared their experiences of immigration and new life in the United States. Also, Afghan women were served Middle Eastern cuisine at the meeting.

"We continue to uplift women and strengthen society through shared experiences, and we emphasise on the importance of unity and support during difficult times," the Archewell Foundation wrote.

Meghan Markle, the British king's daughter-in-law, had previously met with Afghan women in Southern California in February 2023, and at that time they had cooked with 15 Afghan women.

This programme is organised by the Archewell Foundation and Mina’s List. Since 2014, Mina’s List has been working with women activists and political leaders in Afghanistan to promote gender equality, and in 2021 it helped evacuate and resettle more than 2,000 Afghan women and families.

This visit and the efforts of Afghan women activists abroad indicate the deterioration of the situation of women and the human rights crisis inside Afghanistan. Women and girls in Afghanistan are subject to the Taliban's most severe restrictions and have been deprived of the right to education, work, and social and political activities. Human rights organisations have accused the Taliban of widespread human rights violations and say the Taliban have established "gender apartheid”.