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Naseer Ahmad Faiq, Afghanistan’s representative to the United Nations, described the nomination as a positive development but said its success would depend on the Taliban’s cooperation. Nasir Andisha, Afghanistan’s ambassador in Geneva, argued that the Bangladeshi diplomat would not be able to pull UNAMA out of what he described as its current deplorable situation.

A UN official confirmed to Afghanistan International that Secretary-General António Guterres had formally nominated senior Bangladeshi diplomat Rabab Fatima as his new special representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a letter sent to the UN Security Council.

The Security Council has not yet formally approved the nomination, but members are expected to announce their decision within the next 24 hours. If confirmed, Fatima will succeed Roza Otunbayeva at the helm of UNAMA during one of Afghanistan’s most challenging political and humanitarian periods.

The appointment comes shortly after the UN Security Council unanimously voted to extend UNAMA’s mandate for another year.

Faiq welcomed the appointment of a woman to the post, saying it reflected the important role women continue to play at both regional and global levels.

He said Fatima’s success in the role would depend on three factors: strong backing from the Security Council, cooperation from the Taliban despite existing challenges, and her own commitment to carrying out the mission in line with the UN Charter.

Meanwhile, Andisha said discussions over the appointment had been under way for months and that there had been broad agreement the position should be filled by a woman, a Muslim and someone from the region.

He described the nomination as a serious and clear message to the Taliban, which has imposed sweeping restrictions on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls since returning to power.

However, Andisha expressed scepticism about whether the leadership change would improve UNAMA’s performance. Asked whether the new head could pull the mission out of what he called its deplorable situation, he replied, unfortunately not.

Who Is Rabab Fatima?

Rabab Fatima is a veteran Bangladeshi diplomat with extensive experience at the United Nations. She has previously served as president of the UNICEF Executive Board, president of the UN Women Executive Board and vice-president of the Executive Board of the UN Development Programme. She is widely recognised for her work in development, human rights and multilateral cooperation.

A Mission at a Critical Time

UNAMA was established in 2002 under UN Security Council Resolution 1401 following the fall of the Taliban’s first regime. Its mandate is to support peace efforts, reconstruction, institution-building and the promotion of human rights in Afghanistan.

If approved by the Security Council, Fatima will assume leadership of the mission as Afghanistan continues to face a humanitarian crisis, political deadlock, international isolation and sweeping restrictions on women’s rights. Her success or failure is therefore expected to depend not only on her diplomatic abilities, but also on the level of Security Council support and the Taliban’s willingness to engage with the United Nations.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the NRF said one Taliban military vehicle was also destroyed during the operation and that neither civilians nor its fighters were harmed.

The group reiterated that its forces would continue carrying out targeted attacks against Taliban positions until the people and the country are freed from Taliban rule.

The Taliban have not yet commented on the reported attack.

No information has been released about the agenda or outcome of the meeting, and the Taliban have not officially commented on Fitrat’s visit.

Local sources said that, alongside the Taliban army chief’s presence in Nusay district, the group’s intelligence agency deployed a special unit to the area and security measures were significantly tightened.

The presence of Fasihuddin Fitrat, one of the Taliban’s most senior ethnic Tajik officials, in Nusay is seen as significant because the Taliban have previously relied on senior Badakhshani figures to mediate with Juma Khan Fateh in an effort to reduce tensions.

Sources said Fitrat’s familiarity with the local area, his longstanding ties with commanders in Badakhshan and his senior position within the Taliban’s military structure make him one of the few officials capable of playing an effective role in easing tensions and negotiating with Fateh.

Fitrat’s visit to Nusay comes as tensions between the Taliban leadership and Juma Khan Fateh have intensified in recent weeks. Sources previously told Afghanistan International that the Taliban had deployed reinforcements to Nusay in an attempt to disarm fighters loyal to Fateh.

Before Fitrat’s visit, earlier Taliban efforts to resolve the dispute through negotiations had failed. Sources said a Taliban delegation raised the issue of disarming Fateh’s forces during talks with his representatives in Shughnan, but Fateh rejected the proposal.

The growing dispute between Fateh and the Taliban leadership on efforts to disarm his forces, reduce his influence in Badakhshan, administrative appointments and control over the province’s gold mines.

Fateh has previously claimed to command 2,500 fighters equipped with light and heavy weapons in Nusay district alone. He has also said he commands several thousand fighters across the five Darwaz districts.

Afghanistan International has not been able to independently verify those claims.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday, July 9, that a meeting of the provincial Apex Committee of the National Action Plan was held in Balochistan under the chairmanship of Shehbaz Sharif.

During the meeting, Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to confronting what he described as India-backed terrorism operating from Afghan soil.

The meeting followed three major militant attacks in Balochistan over the past four days, in which Pakistani officials said 42 security personnel were killed.

Pakistani authorities also said security forces killed 54 militants during subsequent operations.

Sharif also said the current war against terrorism will continue until the last terrorist in Pakistan is eliminated.

He again accused India of supporting terrorist attacks and claimed militants were using Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan.

The Pakistani prime minister also stressed the enemy has failed to tolerate Pakistan’s diplomatic achievements.

His remarks came a day after Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reaffirmed that security operations against all terrorists and their facilitators would continue.

Chaudhry accused the Afghan Taliban of providing safe havens and financial support to armed groups fighting Pakistan.

He also said operations to pursue and eliminate all terrorists and their supporters would continue.

The military spokesperson said four attackers took part in one of the recent assaults, three of whom were Afghan nationals.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of supporting insurgent groups, allegations the Taliban have consistently denied.

She stressed that supporting US citizens and protecting United States’ national interests remain key priorities in Washington’s policy towards Afghanistan.

Elizabeth Stickney, a US State Department spokesperson, accused the Taliban in an exclusive interview with Afghanistan International of continuing a “hostage-taking policy” and called for the release of all Americans she said were being “wrongfully detained”.

She said on Thursday that the Taliban continued to pursue a policy of hostage-taking and called for the release of all wrongfully detained American citizens.

Stickney said protecting American citizens and safeguarding US national interests were priorities for the administration of President Donald Trump.

The State Department spokesperson also said counterterrorism remained one of Washington’s most important national interests in Afghanistan.

She described the human rights situation of Afghan women and girls as horrific and called on the Taliban to end violations of their rights.

Asked whether the United States had a plan to change the situation in Afghanistan, Stickney said Washington was actively engaged but declined to provide further details about its actions.

Relations between the Taliban and the United States have remained tense since the group returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Washington does not recognise the Taliban government and has repeatedly expressed concern over the human rights situation, particularly the sweeping restrictions imposed on women and girls.

In recent years, the detention of foreign nationals, including several US citizens, has become a major source of dispute between the Taliban and the United States.

US officials have repeatedly called for the release of their citizens and described the detention of Americans as unlawful.

The exact number of US citizens detained and imprisoned by the Taliban remains unclear.

At the same time, the United States says countering terrorist groups in Afghanistan remains one of its security priorities.

The Taliban has consistently rejected allegations of human rights abuses and arbitrary detention, saying its actions comply with domestic laws and Islamic values.

The State Department spokesperson’s latest comments come as international pressure continues over the Taliban’s restrictions on Afghan women and girls.