The Taliban has formally asked the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank to hand over responsibility for securing their offices in Afghanistan to the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, according to credible sources in Kabul.
Sources told Afghanistan International on Monday that negotiations between the Taliban’s interior and finance ministries and the three international institutions have so far produced no agreement. They said that if the Taliban increase pressure, the agencies may be forced to leave the country.
International organisations reportedly lack confidence in the Taliban’s ability to guarantee the safety of both Afghan and foreign staff. The possibility of suicide attackers infiltrating Taliban ranks to target foreign nationals is described as one of the key concerns for these agencies.
A source from the World Bank office in Kabul said that continued Taliban pressure to assume control of security could compel the organisation and others to withdraw from Afghanistan.
The developments come as more than 21 million people across Afghanistan rely on assistance from international agencies to avoid hunger. The World Food Programme has warned that one in five Afghans is currently struggling with acute food insecurity.
The UN, the World Bank and the EU have not yet responded to Afghanistan International’s request for comment on the Taliban’s reported demands.
