Taliban Requests Control Of Afghan Embassy In US During Talks With American Delegation

In a report released Tuesday by the Sport & Rights Alliance, titled "It’s not just a game. It’s part of who I am: Afghan Women Footballers’ Fight for the Right to Play," advocates detailed the team’s struggle since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Afghanistan. The report calls on FIFA to end the team’s exclusion and facilitate their return to global events, including the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers and the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Without FIFA’s intervention, the team—relocated to countries like Portugal, Albania, the United Kingdom, and the United States—faces a second consecutive World Cup qualification cycle on the sidelines, according to Human Rights Watch.

Samira Hamidi, South Asia campaigner at Amnesty International, said: "Though the Afghanistan Women’s National Team escaped the Taliban in 2021, the shadow of systematic gender discrimination continues to follow them across borders, denying them their rightful place on the international stage." She added: "Amnesty, along with the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and other civil society organizations, has called for the Taliban’s gender persecution to be investigated as crimes against humanity."

The team, once a symbol of women’s empowerment in Afghanistan, has faced retaliatory actions from the Taliban, the report states. Under current FIFA rules, the team requires recognition from the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF), which bans women’s sports and refuses to acknowledge the squad.

Khalida Popal, the team’s founder, said: "Right now, the game is at halftime, and the Taliban think they are winning. If FIFA would change its rules and let us play, we could show the world that Afghan women and girls belong in sport, in school and everywhere in society – and we will not be defeated."

FIFA responded to the Sport & Rights Alliance on March 21, stating it has a plan to provide football opportunities for Afghan women inside and outside Afghanistan. However, it offered no clarity on recognizing the team or allocating funds, despite its statutes prohibiting gender discrimination and pledging to promote women’s football.

Andrea Florence, executive director of the Sport & Rights Alliance, said: "Afghan women footballers’ ability to play internationally depends entirely on intervention from FIFA." The alliance also pressed FIFA to fund the team’s training and competition costs, as it does for other member associations.

The campaign, ongoing for over three years, has garnered global support. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and nearly 200,000 petitioners have called for FIFA recognition. Fereshta Abbasi, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: "For these athletes, football is not only their passion but a fundamental act of resistance against the Taliban – an act of solidarity with their sisters still living in Afghanistan. FIFA’s recognition of and support for the team would be a powerful statement that Afghan women’s rights cannot be erased."

The International Olympic Committee’s recognition of the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee in exile allowed Afghan women to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, setting a precedent advocates hope FIFA will follow.

The organisation says dwindling financial support threatens essential services for millions of Afghans.

In a statement released on Tuesday, 25 March, the NRC highlighted a widespread drop in humanitarian aid. This has weakened the presence of relief groups in Afghanistan, endangering countless lives. Since January, the NRC has closed two operational centres in the country. It warned that two more may shut within months without urgent funding.

“The centres have been crucial in supporting returning and internally displaced Afghans, providing assistance with housing, food, legal assistance and referrals to healthcare providers, particularly for Afghan women who are heading their families and depend on female-to-female aid,” the NRC stated.

Despite the closures, the NRC pledged to keep supporting Afghanistan’s vulnerable, including women and children. It blamed the funding crisis on the U.S. suspension of aid and cuts from Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The group cautioned that global support for at-risk groups could plummet further.

Suze van Meegen, NRC’s interim country director in Afghanistan, described the situation as dire. “These funding cuts have far-reaching consequences. They extend from communities that have lost access to basic assistance to thousands of experienced Afghan staff that have lost their livelihoods,” she said.

The NRC urged swift action from the international community to avert a deeper crisis. It appealed for funds to help a population scarred by decades of conflict. This is not the first time the organisation has raised concerns. It has previously warned that aid reductions could disrupt its work across multiple nations.

UNICEF continues its efforts to eliminate polio in Afghanistan.

Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, announced the figures on Tuesday. He said that the organisation, together with its partners, aims to vaccinate every Afghan child against polio.

Polio remains a major health concern in Afghanistan. Many children contract the disease due to limited healthcare services. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 25 polio cases were reported in Afghanistan last year.

Recently, the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health reported the first polio case of 2025. It was identified in a five-year-old child from Qarto village in Balamorghab district of Badghis province.

In a phone call with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Rubio praised Qatar's diplomatic efforts. The US State Department confirmed that George Glezmann was freed through Qatar's mediation.

On Monday, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also thanked Qatar for its role in improving relations between the Taliban and the United States. Muttaqi conveyed his gratitude during a meeting with Mirdef Al-Qashouti, Chargé d'Affaires of Qatar's embassy in Kabul.

The Taliban released George Glezmann last week after holding him captive for more than two years. His release followed a visit to Kabul by a US delegation led by Adam Boehler, Donald Trump's special envoy for hostage affairs, and Zalmay Khalilzad, former US envoy for Afghanistan peace talks. This was the first official US visit to Kabul since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Following Glezmann's release, the US State Department also removed Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and two other Haqqani network leaders from its rewards list.

Sadat, executive director of Roshaniya, an organisation supporting the LGBTQ+ community, confirmed the detention in a statement on Tuesday. The activists were apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Tehran on Thursday, 20 March.

Maryam Ravish, an Afghan lesbian woman, and Abdul Ghafoor Sabery, a transgender Afghan, were stopped by Taliban intelligence officers as they prepared to board a Mahan Air flight. Parwen Hussaini, Ravish’s same-sex partner, was allowed to leave because she was accompanied by a male relative.

Sadat said the Taliban identified the activists by inspecting their mobile phones, subsequently preventing their departure. Another individual assisting the evacuation attempt was also detained.

Roshaniya stated it had spent more than $5,000 and several months planning to evacuate these three LGBTQ+ community members from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Efforts by Roshaniya to secure the release of the detained activists through their families were unsuccessful, as their families refused to cooperate.

The organisation has received conflicting reports about Maryam Ravish’s condition. Some sources claim she remains in Taliban custody; neighbours report her release, and acquaintances say she has attempted suicide.

Neither the Taliban nor the activists’ families have publicly commented on the incident.