Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has urged Western countries to reconsider their sanctions policy after the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the sanctions monitoring team related to the Taliban, describing the move as ineffective.
In an audio message to the media, Mujahid referred to what he described as improving security and development in Afghanistan and said continued sanctions were incompatible with progress in the country. He also expressed appreciation for the positions taken by China and Russia at the Security Council and called on Western states to pursue what he described as constructive engagement with Afghanistan.
On Thursday, February 12, the UN Security Council unanimously extended the mandate of the sanctions monitoring team for another year. Under the resolution, sanctions imposed under the 1988 regime against the Taliban will remain in place.
The measures include asset freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo on individuals and entities associated with the Taliban. Travel-ban exemptions for some Taliban leaders were not renewed. The draft resolution was prepared by the United States, and the monitoring team supports the committee responsible for overseeing the implementation of sanctions related to Afghanistan.
The Taliban have repeatedly described international sanctions as an obstacle to Afghanistan’s economic growth and have called for them to be lifted.
Western countries say the continuation of sanctions is linked to concerns about human rights, the formation of an inclusive government and the Taliban’s counterterrorism commitments.
