Taliban Asks United Nations To Distribute Aid According To Group’s Regulations

Abdul Bari Omari, the Taliban’s head of Food and Drug Authority, asked the United Nations to distribute their food aid according to the regulations of the authority.

Omari raised this request during a meeting with Harald Mannhardt, World Food Programme (WFP) Deputy Country Director, on Thursday.

According to the statement of the Taliban's Food and Drug Authority, he emphasised that it has "principles and regulations" that should be considered in the purchase and distribution of UN food aid.

This Taliban authority did not provide specific details about these regulations and principles. However, the statement mentioned that Omari attributed the reason for the shortage of food to its "poor quality”.

The response of Mannhardt to this request from the Taliban official remains unclear. However, according to the statement from the Taliban-controlled authority, the UN official has pledged to send more aid to Afghanistan.

WFP had previously cautioned about insufficient financial resources to aid Afghanistan.

In a recent development, on Wednesday, WFP expressed concern about aid cut to Afghanistan, particularly for women in the country.

According to officials from this UN-affiliated organisation, women in Afghanistan face significant challenges in accessing food, and the situation has remained unchanged during the month of Ramadan.

The organisation’s assessment indicates that women in Afghanistan are in dire circumstances.

Despite widespread domestic and international protests, the Taliban has prohibited women from employment, education, leaving home without a male guardian, and participating in recreational and sports activities.